Photo: Numi Nummelin

Each year, the Federation of Finnish Enterprises (Suomen Yrittäjät) and its member organisations recognise companies that have been successful nationally, regionally and locally. The Finnish Entrepreneur of the Year award underlines the importance and value of entrepreneurship and highlights the work of individual entrepreneurs. The award is also highly valued by its recipients, as it is a mark of recognition from their entrepreneurial colleagues. In 2021, one of the four recipients of the Finnish Entrepreneur of the Year is Kari Kangas, Chairman of the Board of Tana Oy. The award was presented on 25th of September in Jyväskylä, Finland. 

Tana is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of solid waste treatment equipment. The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Kari Kangas has been the principal owner of the company for the past 25 years. 

Founded in 1971, Tana develops innovative waste treatment solutions for both landfills and recycling. It also manages its own production and sales network from Finland, but its business is global. Tana’s business strategy and model put a strong emphasis on networking with partner companies. These strategic partnerships help the company expand its product range and sales network, while also enabling its operations to be made more scalable. 

Tana’s 50-year history has been characterised by an exceptional pioneering spirit right from the company’s early days to the present. Tana has introduced innovative solutions not only in its products, but also in its operations. The company has refused to rely on common practices, except if they have made the most sense in a particular situation. Tana has set a goal to increase its turnover from EUR 46 million in 2021 to approximately EUR 100 million. The company has averaged organic growth of 15% per year for the past three years and plans to continue this positive trend also in the future.