Karosserie Fach Zentrum – New building in Farchant near Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Car dealership cooperation opens new paint center

Painting systems, workstations and energy-saving technology from SEHON.

Painting systems, workstations and energy-saving technology from SEHON

SEHON innovative painting systems were chosen for the technical equipment with high-end paint booths (for cars and commercial vehicles), dryers, four preparation workstations, two parts workstations and two paint supply rooms. The Swabian manufacturer is regarded as a technology leader in the industry and is known for its extremely efficient and sustainable painting systems, which, in conjunction with other energy-saving modules, can ensure significant energy savings and even energy self-sufficiency.

“At the GAP body and paint center, a sophisticated energy cycle ensures that energy consumption is reduced by up to 80%. This saves operating costs and, of course, also benefits the company’s significantly reduced carbon footprint. Our holistic energy management plays a key role in ensuring that the new body shop saves up to 90% on energy costs. The certificate for energy optimization that we issue for this is guaranteed proof of sustainability and the resulting CO₂ reduction,” comments Tiemo Sehon, CEO of the system partner.

The new building of the Karosserie Fach Zentrum GAP GmbH Co. & OHG. in Farchant relies on a heat and power supply concept that is consistently based on renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics and energy-saving heat pump technology. For maximum energy savings, six heat pumps (three plus three in redundant operation) are operated with solar power. Only the peak loads at peak times are covered by a gas boiler.

“In the summer, we will be able to take stock of how much additional grid electricity we have drawn since the opening in July 2025. But what we can already say now: The energy savings are immense compared to our old paint store, because our PV system covers a large part of our own requirements,” explains Andreas Fischer, Operations Manager at the Karosserie Fach Zentrum.

The goal of operating the plant almost energy self-sufficiently and thus more cost-effectively is also achieved by the painting and drying systems supplied by SEHON, which are equipped with highly efficient rotary heat exchangers and enable heat recovery throughout the year.

Modern body and paint store, spacious, process-oriented, symbiosis of high-tech and green technology.

The key component of the SEHON Professional-Futura combi spray booth used in the company is the intelligent SE-ÖCOTOP system. This is a unit technology that not only saves energy, but also recovers around 65% of the waste heat from the painting and drying process and makes it usable again thanks to the SE-NONSTOP-PLUS year-round heat recovery system.

The intelligent SE-CONTROL booth pressure control system is one of the factors responsible for the best possible painting quality. The fully automatic control system ensures that the air pressure inside the spray booth remains at a constantly ideal level depending on the operating mode (painting, standby, drying).

The integrated SE-AIRMASTER air management system adjusts the booth’s air output automatically and without fluctuation. The control system recognizes whether the booth is being loaded, cleaned, in stand-by mode, in full-load painting mode or in the drying phase. Depending on the situation, SE-AIRMASTER then delivers the exact amount of air required – efficiently, precisely and energy-optimized.

The SE-ÖCOPLUS energy-saving system also supports the sustainable use of resources. During painting, the system automatically increases the air output to the maximum and ensures pure fresh air operation. During the drying phase, however, the system runs in recirculated air mode for 90% of the time, which saves energy without negatively impacting performance. In stand-by mode, SE-ÖCOPLUS reduces the air volume and uses around 80 % recirculated air, making the cabin particularly efficient.

Modern energy center for perfect and economical energy consumption.

The SE-AIRPLUS Comfort flash-off system is used in Farchant to accelerate the flash-off times of water-based paints in vehicle painting.

At the same time, SEHON technology ensures that exhaust air is over 99% free of paint particles and pollutants thanks to multi-stage filter technology. This means that the legally prescribed limit values are undercut by an incredible 90 %. That’s good for nature and the environment.

In addition to cars, commercial vehicles and motorhomes can also be painted in another commercial vehicle hall at the GAP body shop. The ventilation unit, which is located in the unit room under the roof, can be switched as required so that either the cabin for cars or the commercial vehicle cabin can be used.

Plant manager Andreas Fischer emphasizes that the approximately 25 employees and customers not only benefit from the new technology, but also from the optimization of internal processes. One focus was on keeping the distances between the individual work steps (preparation, masking, painting, drying, finishing) as short and effective as possible.

This is achieved by a floor-level cross-slide rail system, which also eliminates the need to maneuver vehicles around under the engine.

Tiemo Sehon concludes: “The economic success of a modern body and paint store depends both on the energy-saving technology used and on ensuring that all processes within the company are as efficient and time-saving as possible.”

From the ground-breaking ceremony to the opening, a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient and future-proof body and paint center has been built in Farchant near Garmisch-Partenkirchen within a year, perfectly combining high-tech and green technology.

Author: Jens Kreutzer, Online editor: Michael Teschke, Photos: KFZ Copyright Michael Herczeg.