This is how the new canteen at Hankook Tire’s Rácalmás factory was built by Coninvest
South Korean company Hankook Tire has been manufacturing passenger and light commercial vehicle tyres at its Rácalmás plant since 2007. The plant has since grown to become one of the company’s most important manufacturing units, providing employment for around three thousand people in the region. For a factory of this size, catering is not a secondary service but a fundamental requirement for day-to-day operations – this provided the framework for the project in which Coninvest was tasked with the complete refurbishment of the factory’s so-called ‘Kitchen 2’, a serving kitchen, including the complete renewal of the equipment.
Five months, continuous coordination
The project began in February 2026 with the order; installation work on the kitchen commenced in May, and handover took place in early July. The period between the order and commissioning did not stand still for a single moment: on-site surveys and coordination were ongoing, as construction taking place within a live factory environment required fine-tuning between the plans and the actual conditions even whilst work was in progress.
New kitchen, new serving counter
The task was not to renovate or extend an existing kitchen, but to design a completely new kitchen and a large serving counter. The capacity was determined by the factory’s workforce: at Kitchen 2, at least a thousand people eat every day, which represents a completely different scale in terms of kitchen technology design compared to a restaurant or hotel kitchen.
Two types of service in one space
The kitchen features a long serving counter where staff are served from both hot and cold sections; in addition, a smaller buffet area has been set up where staff can purchase coffee, drinks and light snacks. The two functions – daily hot meals and faster, buffet-style service – operate side by side in a single space.
The equipment that powers it all
The cooking island and serving counter are equipped with Rational combi-steamers and iVario units, as well as Angelo Po cooking appliances. Washing-up is handled by Angelo Po machines – a large tunnel washer and a rack-type washer – whilst refrigeration is provided by Cool Head and Infrico refrigerators and wall-mounted display cabinets.
One of the most interesting features of the system is a Rendisk tray conveyor belt, which transports dirty trays, plates and cutlery directly to the washing area.
The feedback
Following the completion of the project, both the client and the kitchen operator gave positive feedback.
“The operator was particularly impressed by the attention to detail and the high quality of the machinery and equipment,” says Dániel Kanyik.
It wasn’t just a kitchen that was built, but a system
The success of an industrial kitchen serving a thousand people a day does not depend on a single impressive piece of equipment, but on every element of the system – from the cooking island through to the serving counter and the washing-up area – fitting together perfectly and aligning with the factory’s daily rhythm.
Over the course of five months, it was not merely a kitchen that was built. A complex system was put together.
