Press Release, Finbin June 1, 2021

– The French order marks a significant breakthrough for us into the Central European market. We distinguished ourselves from competitors thanks to our technological solutions that enhance waste management, says Eero Ojanen, CEO of Finbin.

In the Pays de l'Or tender, one of the strengths of the solar-powered smart waste bin, which is entirely developed and manufactured in Ylöjärvi, was its precise fill-level measurement technology.

– We have developed a new kind of fill-level measurement for City Solar and patented the solution. Usually, the fill level of smart waste bins is measured either with an ultrasonic or laser sensor, which cause unnecessary emptying alarms, Eero Ojanen explains.

City Solar also won the efficiency comparison in the tender. Furthermore, unlike other compacting smart waste bins, it can use different sized waste containers as inner bins without modifications, which was important for the French.

While in the Nordic countries the use of smart waste bins most often targets 240-liter waste containers familiar even from detached house yards, which are emptied by a waste truck's emptying function, in Central Europe, 120-liter waste containers are widely used. These are often emptied manually.

4.5 million euro major investment in the development of the Ylöjärvi factory

Finbin will soon exceed the mark of 1000 delivered City Solar smart waste bins. Significant quantities of City Solars have previously been exported to Sweden and Norway, and smaller batches to Croatia and Hungary. In Finland, City Solars are widely used on the streets of Helsinki and Turku.

The French order is currently the company's largest export deal to Central Europe by far. Sales were handled by Finbin's export director Braham Djidjelli, who is based in France.

Concurrently with the significant export deal, Finbin board confirmed the largest development investment in the company's history.

– During 2021–2022, we are investing a total of 4.5 million euros in our Ylöjärvi factory's production machinery, painting line, and the construction and development of a new factory. As a result, in 2022 we will have the most modern production facility in our industry, meeting even the highest international quality criteria. For example, the painting line investment will clearly raise the quality of our surface treatment above the industry's accustomed standard, says Eero Ojanen.

City Solar is Finbin's leading export product, and the new factory will significantly increase its production capacity.

Depending on the waste type, with its compacting function, City Solar can hold, on average, 20 times more waste than a traditional 60-liter street waste bin. This means significantly fewer waste transportation costs and emissions than before.

CitySolar notifies its fill level to a map-based cloud service for waste management, which is also produced by Lehtovuori Oy.