Kiertokapula is a waste management company owned by 13 municipalities in Kanta-Häme, South Pirkanmaa and Central Uusimaa. Kiertokapula collects, receives, processes and transports waste. Consultation and communication in connection with waste are also an important part of their activities.

With the changes brought about by the new Waste Act, Kiertokapula realized that the existing weighing system needed an upgrade. The main needs were related to efficiency and automation, as well as the introduction of electronic movement documents. In addition, the aim was to improve the level of self-service at waste stations, and to facilitate the process through mobile weighing, streamline reporting, and find a system to manage material flows from weighing to billing.

Flow by Pinja solves many challenges in one fell swoop

The project started with a pilot deployment of Pinja’s Flow system, initially at one site. The pilot gathered a lot of valuable feedback and user experience, which enabled a smoother roll-out to the remaining sites. The reception system has since been deployed in all locations, and the mobile weighing functionality, which allows transport companies to manage reception transactions autonomously, will be deployed next fall.

The introduction of Flow has helped simplify product and customer management. “By moving from local applications to the cloud-based Flow system, access points can be managed remotely, and customer accounts do not need to be created multiple times in the system. Flow’s functionalities can also be used to plan better and more comprehensive service offerings in the future”, says Mari Alho, Kiertokapula’s System Manager.

Flow has also made reporting easier. In the future, the customer will receive more detailed information about their own activities through the system. At the same time, data are transferred agilely between the billing system and the ERP.

The new weighing system and online billing application were put into use in Hämeenlinna’s Karanoja in June.

Pinja has proven to be a reliable and professional guide in systemic reforms

“It was important for us to find a partner with whom we could develop our operations. Waste management is never finished, and the sector is constantly changing. That’s why we needed a partner with whom we could discuss and jointly develop the system to meet our operational needs”, says Alho.

At Kiertokapula, we have been very happy with the cooperation so far. A common understanding was quickly found, and the communication has been smooth from the start. According to Alho, Kiertokapula has particularly appreciated the fact that it has been possible to talk about things in plain language without technical jargon. This has helped avoid unnecessary misunderstandings in the project.

Pinja’s employees are also praised for their adaptability, flexibility, listening skills, collaborative spirit, negotiating skills, and solution-oriented approach. “Needs for development are always well received at Pinja, and they are brainstormed and worked through together. Pinja’s employees also have the professionalism and courage to propose better solutions if we have proposed changes to the system that may not have been sensible”, Alho sums up.

He says that Pinja’s employees are very adaptable to the needs of the client, and that they know how to tailor their business models to suit the client. “It allows us to stay in agreement and on track easily throughout the project”, says Alho, and continues: “During the deployment, there has never been a single case where Pinja did not have the resources to deal with an issue.”

From Pinja’s point of view, the cooperation has been smooth and effective. The client’s own involvement and open discussion on both sides have played a major role. “Active feedback and discussion about how things work and how they could be improved is really valuable to us. We have also found the right feedback channels and processes to ensure that the cooperation is as agile as possible throughout the project”, says Marko Kiippa, Business Director, Bioenergy and Circular Economy Unit at Pinja.

Photos: Kiertokapula