RATIONAL AG

What they do

RATIONAL builds cooking appliances for professional kitchens: restaurants, hotels, canteens, hospitals, catering firms and fast-food chains. Its core product is the combi-steamer, an oven that combines dry heat and steam so that one unit can roast, bake, steam and braise. A second line, the iVario, handles boiling, frying and deep-frying in a single tilting pan.

The company was founded in 1973 by Siegfried Meister, with Walter Kurtz as co-owner, and builds its combi ovens in Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria. It has been listed in the Prime Standard of the German stock exchange since 2000 and is a member of the MDAX.

Why it matters

Commercial kitchens face rising labour costs, shortages of trained chefs and pressure to save energy and space. RATIONAL's pitch is that intelligent appliances with sensors and cooking programmes can produce consistent results with fewer people and less equipment.

The company describes itself as the global market and technology leader for commercial cooking appliances. Whatever the ranking, its products have become a standard fixture in professional kitchens, and the firm is often cited as an example of a German company that dominates a narrow but global niche.

Products to know

• iCombi Pro: an intelligent combi-steamer that adjusts cooking settings automatically.
• iVario Pro: a multifunctional cooking system for boiling, frying and deep-frying.
• iHexagon: a newer appliance combining steam, convection and microwave energy.

The German angle

RATIONAL is Bavarian in roots and production. Landsberg am Lech, a historic town between Munich and Augsburg, is both its original location and the site from which combi ovens are shipped worldwide.

The company keeps combi oven manufacturing in Germany and serves global customers through subsidiaries and partners. Its story illustrates a German pattern: take a single technical idea, refine it for decades and pair it with close customer support.