The kitchens need to cater for between 1,200 and 1,600 meals every day
A clean approach to workplace dining
W
hen AXA Konzern AG brought together FCSI member consultants vtechnik, Rational and the University of Applied
Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf to rethink their company catering facility in Cologne, they wanted nothing less than to design the kitchen of the future ‒ a facility that would prioritize operational efficiency, sustainability and employee wellbeing. Tis wasn’t just about upgrading equipment; it was about challenging assumptions, rethinking workflows and creating a kitchen that could set new standards for the rest of the industry. With all the key stakeholders at the
table, most of whom had long-standing working relationships, the process started with a comprehensive operational analysis of the existing kitchen, which dated back to 2004. “It was not about replacing individual appliances, but about optimizing the entire process flow in order to generate real added value for the future,” says vtechnik managing director Peter Adam-Luketic FCSI.
HUGE IMPACT ON THE UNKNOWN
Old technology was replaced by new, intelligent cooking systems, including Rational iCombi Pro combi-steamers and iVario Pro multifunctional appliances. However, the biggest change wasn’t the equipment but the flexibility of the new operation. Employees can use different modules in different positions, and there is buffer capacity, so that the kitchen ‒ which
generally needs to cover between 1,200 and 1,600 meals per day ‒ can flex for events and the future growth of the company. “Even the induction hob is flexible,” says Olaf Bärmann FCSI, vtechnik’s manager of planning and project management. “You can fit it with a pasta attachment or a frying plate, so there are two additional functions in a very small space.” Staff wellbeing was also a major focus,
leading to ergonomic upgrades like height- adjustable counters and better-designed trolleys that reduce strain and improve mobility. Again, though, the team didn’t only upgrade devices – they also thought about the workflow for staff. “It is not about placing equipment where there is space, but where it makes ergonomic sense. If employees constantly have to turn the wrong way, this leads to back problems and illness,” Adam- Luketic explains.
Although this approach is nothing new,
solutions like this are often overlooked by kitchen operators because they are seen as too expensive. Here, they were embraced. Te team also took a measured approach to digitalization, only implementing digital processes where they served a clearly defined goal and actually added value. On both fronts, chefs were consulted throughout. “Tese were not just ‘project talks’,” Bärmann notes. “It was an iterative process over time.” Sustainability was at the heart of this
project. Te University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan-Triesdorf was tasked with
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