RATIONAL AG Expands French Manufacturing Facility for iVario Production

RATIONAL AG, a FEDA manufacturer member, announced the opening of its plant expansion in Wittenheim, France, this month. The project doubled the facility's size, increasing capacity for the iVario Pro intelligent tilt skillet, creating modern workspaces, and constructing a Customer Experience Center for customers and partners.

The iVario Pro and its predecessor models have been developed and produced at the Wittenheim site for more than 20 years. From Wittenheim, RATIONAL supplies appliances and accessories to more than 120 countries worldwide. The facility produced more than 10,000 cooking systems in 2025 and now has a potential production capacity of 25,000 units annually. The building’s design even allows for future expansion that could push that output to 75,000 units per year. “With the new building, we are laying the foundation to meet growing global demand over the long term,” said Thomas Hoch, chief product officer, iVario.

In addition to the combi oven, the iVario Pro is one of RATIONAL’s core technologies. While the iCombi Classic, iCombi Pro, and iHexagon are manufactured at RATIONAL’s main site in southern Germany, Wittenheim serves as the company’s center of expertise for contact heat technology. The new building and the $41 million investment underscore the growing strategic importance of the iVario Pro, the company said in a news release.

Alongside roughly 108,000 square feet of production space, the new building features a Customer Experience Center with three training centers for cooking demonstrations, training courses, and customer and partner events. The site also includes a modern staff restaurant and approximately 16,000 square feet of office space with bright, ergonomic workstations. Wittenheim is also home to the headquarters of RATIONAL’s French sales subsidiary. Around 270 people from 11 countries work at the site, reflecting the company’s international focus.

RATIONAL placed significant emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainable design in the new building. A highly insulated, material-efficient steel structure forms the basis for energy-optimized operation. A heat pump handles heating and cooling, while an intelligent, daylight-responsive LED lighting control system with separate lighting zones further reduces energy use. A photovoltaic system designed to cover 25% of the building’s current annual electricity consumption rounds out the package.

“The new building is an important milestone for the team in Wittenheim,” Hoch said. “It creates modern working conditions and underscores the importance of the iVario within the RATIONAL product portfolio. It also lays the foundation for us to continue supplying professional kitchens with the best possible solutions well into the future.”