When Kalle Saarimaa was appointed CEO of Tana Oy in June, he gained a whole new perspective on the circular economy. Saarimaa’s office is already high up, quite concretely, as it is situated in the impressive Schauman Castle in Jyväskylä. Even more impressive than the view from his office, however, is the view that his new position opens up to cooperation opportunities within the circular economy.
Saarimaa sees Tana as an engineering workshop without its own engineering workshop. In Tana’s networked organisation, a team of more than 50 experts creates high-quality material recycling opportunities for customers in close cooperation with partners. Saarimaa wants to intensify this cooperation even further.
“I want us to get into the mindset of thinking together with our partners about how to develop, lower costs and improve quality even more. The relationship between manufacturers, sellers, customers and Tana’s experts is already close, but there are still barriers between companies.”
Strong brand
Already when he joined Tana’s board of directors in 2021, Saarimaa noted that Tana’s networked organisation has a strong ability to get through even the most difficult times through cooperation.
The last few years have really tested crisis resistance, as the pandemic was followed by a shortage of components and longer delivery times, followed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and inflation. On top of everything, a fire broke out in the main assembly plant of Tana’s partner just as the demand for landfill compactors, shredders and screens started to grow strongly.
“I was surprised how flexible our networked organisation was. Despite the fire, Tana’s turnover grew over 60 percent last year.”
When Tana’s Chairman of the Board Kari Kangas invited Saarimaa from Fortum Oyj’s Circular Solutions division to become CEO, it did not take long for him to make up his mind about taking over the top position at Tana.
“Tana is a well-managed company with a strong brand. We can proudly say that customers consider Tana’s machines to be the best on the market.”
Growth continues
Saarimaa is now starting to lead Tana towards turnover of one hundred million euros through partnerships, acquisitions and organic growth. New products are being added to our product family, such as a new disc screen designed by Tana ourselves. Digital and artificial intelligence-based solutions will further accelerate growth.
The circular economy continues to reshape business models. Tana Rental services increase the utilisation rate of our machines. Tana is also getting end-of-life machines back into use by remanufacturing them.
“I encourage all companies to challenge their own business model and consider whether it is in line with the circular economy. I believe that the entire industry can develop towards a circular economy through digitalisation and cooperation,” Saarimaa states.
