On March 22, RATIONAL Chief Operational Officer Peter Wiedemann accepted the award for the “Factory of the Year 2022” at a conference in Munich. The jury, consisting of renowned experts from industry and science, made their decision based on the fact that the production facility in Landsberg successfully faced diverse challenges such as a resilient supply chain, more sustainability, and demanding recruitment of skilled workers. In recent years, RATIONAL has been a regular award winner in one of Europe’s most prestigious industry competitions. This year, it was the overall winner.
For over 30 years, companies have been competing against the best of the best to show where they are one step ahead of the rest. At RATIONAL, the jury identified the secret to success is in its continuous development process, long-standing supplier relationships, and the independent work of each employee as part of our U.i.U. principle.
“We simply try to have a more emotional take on everything,” says Wiedemann. For example, the company initially rewards each suggestion for the Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) with 10 euros, and at the end of the year there is an award for the best suggestions, which are again rewarded with substantial amounts of money.
“It’s up to the teams to decide what they want to do with the money,” says Wiedemann. “This makes a significant contribution to team building and motivation.”
The award was also given for the principle of entrepreneurship within the company (U.i.U.), which begins with training. Two years ago, this led, among other things, to the founding of a junior group that came up with its own product and marketed it as its own company. This product, a charcoal grill, is now very popular with the company.
On the second day, the conference participants were able to see the winner’s production facility for themselves. During a factory tour lasting several hours, the RATIONAL team explained the reasons behind their success as the global market leader.
The management consultancy, Kearny, organizes the competition together with SV Events. The winners were selected in two stages. In the first step, the participating companies had to complete a detailed questionnaire on all aspects along the value chain. Based on these key figures, a top group was identified and then visited by an audit team in a second step.
About RATIONAL
The RATIONAL Group is the world market and technology leader in the field of hot food preparation for professional kitchens. Founded in 1973, the company employs more than 1,100 people in Germany and a total of over 2,300 worldwide. RATIONAL has been listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since its IPO in 2000, and is currently included in the MDAX.
The primary objective of the company is to always offer its customers maximum benefits. Internally, RATIONAL is committed to the principle of sustainability, expressed in its policies on environmental protection, leadership, and social responsibility. Year after year, numerous international awards testify to the exceptional quality of RATIONAL’s work.
