Introduction of a new cooler's fin: from research to industrialization Compact plate–and-fin heat exchangers are central components in automotive and industrial cooling systems due to their high thermal effectiveness and compact geometry. Nonetheless, their performance is often constrained by relatively high air-side thermal resistance, making the optimization of fin geometry a decisive factor in advancing efficiency. This thesis introduces and evaluates a novel reduced-height wavy fin (7.5 mm) as a potential replacement for the conventional 10.2 mm fin design, with the dual objective of enhancing air-side thermal–hydraulic performance and verifying its feasibility for large-scale manufacturing. The study adopts a combined computational and experimental methodology.