| Type | Allmennaksjeselskap |
|---|---|
| Traded as | OSE: TOM |
| Industry | Recycling |
| Founded | 1972 [1] |
| Headquarters | Asker, Norway |
| Key people | Stefan Ranstrand (President and CEO), Svein Rennemo (Chairman) |
| Products | Reverse vending machines, collection and processing of used beverage containers, compactors, waste sorting technologies |
| Revenue | NOK 3.496 billion (2010)[2] |
| Operating income | NOK 269.8 million (2010)[2] |
| Profit | NOK 73.7 million (2010)[2] |
| Total assets | NOK 3.305 bllion (end 2010)[2] |
| Total equity | NOK 1.901 billion (end 2010)[2] |
| Employees | 2,030 (end 2010)[2] |
| Website | www.tomra.no |
Tomra Systems ASA is a Norwegian company producing, selling and operating reverse vending machines, used to sort and collect empty beverage containers for recycling.
The company was founded in 1972 by the brothers Petter and Tore Planke.
Reverse Vending Machines (RVM) are automated machines that utilize advanced technology to identify, sort, collect and process used beverage containers and crates. In most cases, RVMs are used in markets that have deposits on beverage containers, offering an efficient and convenient method of identifying the deposit amount of each container returned and providing a refund to the customer. More than 800 billion bottles, cans and other drink containers are produced every year. Half of them end up on landfills.[3]
TOMRA currently has approximately 65,000 RVMs installed in over 40 countries worldwide.[4] In North America, Tomra's main competitor is Envipco.
The company headquarters are in Asker, Norway. Its ticker symbol is TOM on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSEBX).
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Since Tomra was founded in the 1970s, the reverse vending and container recycling industries have changed drastically. The introduction of new bottle deposits in the United States has led to the increase in demand for both reverse vending installations and beverage container recycling plants. The reverse vending machine itself has become much more advanced over the years. Modern machines today have multiple container recognition methods to verify that the containers are valid deposit bottles. These methods include barcode scanning, material recognition, and optical shape recognition. Nearly all of Tomra's current line of reverse vending machines feature a technology called SureReturn, a video surveillance system that provides constant monitoring and control of objects inserted into the machine, providing unmatched recognition, security and sorting capabilities. [5]