The Brand Story
Schwank: Three Generations of Heating People, Not Air
In 1933, in the Alsatian village of Fegersheim, a young engineer named Günther Schwank went into business making gas stoves for commercial kitchens. It was practical work, and it taught him how a gas flame behaves up close. Six years later he patented an idea that turned that knowledge sideways: instead of using the flame to heat air, let it heat a ceramic surface until it glowed, and let that glow warm whatever it fell on. Nearly a century on, his family still runs the company, and the warehouses, loading docks and restaurant patios it heats are scattered across more than 40 countries.
Chapter 1 · 1933 to 1939
A kitchen-stove maker finds the glow
The patent Schwank received in 1939 covered a gas-fired infrared radiator built around ceramic, and it is widely described as the first of its kind. The principle is the same one you feel stepping out of shade into sunshine. Infrared energy passes through the air without heating it much and is absorbed by people, floors, machinery and walls. In a tall, drafty building, that matters enormously: there is no need to fill a 30-foot ceiling with warm air just to keep the people on the floor comfortable.
Chapter 2 · 1951 to 1956
Hamburg, then Cologne
Series production of Schwank heaters began in Hamburg in 1951, and by 1956 the company had moved into a new building in Cologne, which remains its headquarters today. Postwar Germany was rebuilding factories, rail yards and workshops at a furious pace, and large, open buildings that needed to be heated cheaply were exactly where infrared made sense.
Chapter 3 · 1970 to 1981
The second generation looks west
Günther's son Bernd Schwank joined the company in 1970 and took it abroad, building sales across Europe and beyond. In 1974 Schwank brought its technology to North America with local manufacturing in Toronto. In 1981 it reached into the United States by acquiring Perfection Industries and building heaters in Waynesboro, Georgia. That North American arm, Schwank North America, marked its 50th anniversary in 2024 and counts companies such as BMW, Amazon, Northrop Grumman, Home Depot and FedEx among its customers.
Chapter 4 · 2002 to 2020
The third generation and the tube heater
In 2002 Schwank heaters went into the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid, a reminder that infrared works anywhere people gather under a roof but not inside walls. Oliver Schwank, the founder's grandson, became the third generation to lead the family business in 2004. In 2010 the company opened the Schwank Innovation Center to develop its tube and high-intensity heaters, and in 2018 its North American division expanded into air movement with high-volume, low-speed fans and air curtains.
In 2020 Schwank introduced the superTube SST series, which the company describes as North America's first infrared tube heater with an EC motor and true modulation control. Instead of switching hard between on and off, the heater can turn its output up and down to match the load.
Chapter 5 · Today
Heat without carbon
Schwank is still private and family-owned, with roughly 350 employees in 2023 and manufacturing in Germany, the United States, Canada and China. German business press has described it as the global leader in industrial infrared heating, with about 19% of the world market. In recent years the company has moved into heat pumps and ventilation and developed geniumSchwank, an industrial infrared heater that can run on 100% hydrogen, natural gas or propane. Its eSchwank series of electric infrared heaters, introduced in 2025, gives buildings without a gas line the same radiant approach.
The Lineup
What Schwank builds today
Schwank builds gas and electric infrared heaters for commercial and industrial buildings, outdoor patio heaters, air curtains, HVLS fans and system controls. Its North American families include superTube, premierSchwank, builderSchwank and duraSchwank tube heaters; supremeSchwank and ecoSchwank high-intensity and patio heaters; eSchwank electric heaters; and the Epic, Select and Swift air curtain series. Here is what HVAC365 carries:
- Infrared tube heaters: straight-run natural gas tube heaters from 12 to 60 feet, single-stage and two-stage, plus versions with coated burner housings and harsh-environment construction for wash-down bays and damp buildings.
- U-tube heaters: folded tube designs that put more radiant output into a shorter footprint.
- By output: 40,000 to 99,000 BTU tube heaters for shops and garages, and 100,000 to 174,000 BTU tube heaters for warehouses and service bays.
- Commercial patio heaters: two-stage marine-grade stainless steel heaters and outdoor tube heaters built for wet or damp environments on restaurant patios.
- High-intensity luminous heaters: compact glowing-ceramic heaters for spot heating.
- Electric and air movement: indoor/outdoor electric infrared heaters with their switches, plus ambient and electrically heated air curtains for doorways.
The Science
Why infrared suits big buildings
Warm air rises. In a warehouse with a high roof and doors that open all day, a forced-air system spends much of its energy heating air that either collects at the ceiling or rolls out the door. Infrared heaters skip that step. They warm the floor slab, the equipment and the people, and the slab then gives that heat back slowly. That is why tube heaters are typically mounted high and angled toward where people actually work, and why two-stage and modulating models can idle at low fire on mild days.
At a Glance
Schwank by the numbers
- Founded
- 1933, Fegersheim, Alsace
- Founder
- Günther Schwank
- Infrared patent
- 1939
- Headquarters
- Cologne, Germany, since 1956
- Ownership
- Private, third-generation family business
- North America
- Toronto since 1974; Waynesboro, Georgia, since 1981
- Employees
- About 350 worldwide (2023)
- Markets
- More than 40 countries
- Product focus
- Gas and electric infrared heating
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Schwank
Who owns Schwank?
Schwank is a private, family-owned company headquartered in Cologne, Germany. Oliver Schwank, grandson of founder Günther Schwank, has led it since 2004.
When was Schwank founded?
Günther Schwank founded the company in 1933 in Fegersheim, Alsace, and patented his gas-fired ceramic infrared radiator in 1939.
Where are Schwank heaters made for North America?
Schwank North America has manufactured in Toronto since 1974 and in Waynesboro, Georgia, since 1981. The group also manufactures in Germany and China.
What is the difference between a tube heater and a high-intensity heater?
A tube heater burns gas inside a long steel tube that glows at a lower temperature and spreads heat over a wide area. A high-intensity heater burns gas across a ceramic surface that glows much hotter, giving concentrated heat in a smaller footprint.
Why use infrared heat in a warehouse or garage?
Infrared warms people, floors and equipment directly instead of heating the air, so less heat is lost to high ceilings and open doors.
Does Schwank make electric heaters?
Yes. Alongside its gas heaters, Schwank makes the eSchwank line of electric infrared heaters for indoor and outdoor use, plus electrically heated air curtains.
