Orwak’s Greek distributor Karena has over the past 20 years not only built a strong presence across mainland Greece but also complemented it with a significant and growing footprint in the country’s island regions. Waste management is a challenge for island communities and businesses due to expensive transports to the mainland. Sorting, compacting and baling the waste on the islands reduce the volume and the costs significantly.
Karena has succesfully delivered and installed Orwak balers across numerous Greek islands – including Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada, Kasos, Milos and Santorini – and thereby supporting both public and private sector operations. From hotel facilities to municipal services and retail chains, the balers are now part of daily life in some of the most demanding and diverse environments in the Aegean and Ionian seas.
SALING WITH A SALES OFFER
In total 950 Orwak balers are installed in mainland Greece and more than 200 on the islands. That is an impressive number and it takes a lot of tenacity and energy to achieve! Polys Polychroniadis, dedicated Orwak representative in Greece since more than 20 years, truly orange at heart, and Managing Director of Karena, is saling between the islands in the vast Greek archipelago visiting customers and selling Orwak balers in the ports! So far, Orwak balers are delivered to 30 islands in Greece.
Polys Polychroniadis, always full of enthusiasm and positive energy with his eyes on the horizon and the
sight set on the stars, steers his boat towards the next destination.
Needs, challenges and conditions on site vary and Karena serves a large and diversified customer base. The big islands resemble in a way mainland Greece and sales are mainly to supermarkets and hotels. The COMPACT range of the smallest Orwak balers is popular in this segment. With their small footprint COMPACT balers do not take up much space, but they provide effective compaction and produce light bales that are easy to handle.
PROVIDING MINI RECYCLING STATIONS ON SMALL ISLANDS
On small islands, Karena supply compaction equipment to the municipalities for sorting and compaction of all the waste and recyclables collected in the island community. Orwak’s multi-chamber baler 9020S is the most preferred model. It can easily be extended with additional generous size chambers to facilitate and promote sorting of many waste types into clean fractions. The chambers form regular mini recycling stations.
POWER 3325 is another popular model when there are less waste types to consider. Both balers produce big bales, which is an advantage. Small islands are obliged to send their bales to the mainland for further processing and recycling and big bales are naturally more cost effective to transport.
AFTER SALES SUPPORT – A KEY SUCCESS FACTOR
To be able to provide good technical support and after sales service on the islands, also the secluded ones, is a definite competitive advantage and a key success factor in Karena’s sales. Polys Polychroniadis: “Our driving force for successful sales on the islands is the after sales service”.
After sales service is fundamental for building long-term trust with customers operating in remote and challenging areas. This expanding presence in the Greek islands stands as a testament to the quality, efficiency and adaptability of Karena’s solutions, wherever they are needed.
Furthermore, selling balers to small islands is a good and convincing reference in mainland Greece. When Orwak balers are sturdy and reliable enough to work under the sometimes tough conditions on the small islands, the mainland customers feel comfortable taking the baler investment decision.
EXPANDING THE BUSINESS TO CYPRUS
Karena is also proud to have extended its market to be present in Cyprus, bringing the same reliable compaction solutions to that island. By working closely with local partners and end-users, the team ensures that each installation is tailored to the unique requirements of its location – considering terrain, accessibility, and seasonal demand.
The cooperation with the Cypriot partner started in 2023 and the number of delivered Orwak balers in Cyprus may very well reach 100 pcs by the end of this year 2025.
Polys Polychroniadis comments: “The success is grounded on the selection of the right partner and we sell to the no. 1 waste management family company on the island. Press containers dominated the compaction of the recyclable material in Cyprus, but we convinced our partner to propose the vertical balers to his customers, which he did with great success. We are proud of Nicolas Panayi and his family!”
And Orwak is proud of Karena with Poly Polychroniadis at its helm!