Highest efficiency at our India factory
We have just crossed one of our bigger milestones as a global company: opening our second factory in Pune, India. The factory began full-time operations in December, and the wonderful team has done nothing but surprise us since! Some of their biggest achievements include:
- Dispatching a whopping total of 1,000 digesters in February, only two months after opening!
- Reaching a manufacturing capacity of 40 digesters per day after a successful training period with Quirin Walter, our Global Tech Ops Manager, and doubled at the end of Q1!
This production rate is ready to fulfill the increasing demand in India and other Asia pacific countries. Big head ups for the India team !
Energy and food security in México: Round two
For almost a decade we have collaborated with IRRI-Mexico in the largest biodigester program in Latin America with funding from W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This program has been extended and as a result 1,500 biodigesters will be installed in the next 3 years in the states of Yucatán, Campeche and Quintana Roo (Mexico).
Since the start of the “Energy and Food Security Program” in 2011, we have installed 600 biodigesters, impacting more than 3,000 people in the region. This new stage has the goal to install 500 biodigesters per year, which will help hundreds of Mayan families to increase their agricultural productivity with organic fertilizer; improve access to healthy food; increase sources of income; and give access to renewable energy sources like biogas.
In addition to the installation, we will work together with IRRI-Mexico to give workshops and trainings on the maintenance and adoption of our technology, as well as various techniques on the use and application of biofertilizer in crops in the region.
Partnerships around the world
Stephanie Zayed, our global Business Development Associate, has been working really hard and closing some amazing partnership deals:
- 12 systems to be installed in Zambia through three of Solidaridad Network’s smallholder farming programs in Southern, Central & Eastern provinces.
- Our Nepal project (Renewable Energy World) has received an order for 12 units. The shipment is underway, and the first level of training & installation will start in April!
Exponential growth in India
After a hard 15 months of work, our team in India received provisional approval from the National Biogas Program of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) of the Government of India to install 50 biodigesters in 3 states. This took place in January 2021 and various tests will be conducted to assess whether we are eligible for the central subsidy program offered by the New National Biogas and Organic Manure Program (NNBOMP) starting next year. This is excellent news for us as we would not only receive a central subsidy for our product, but also support from the central government on the quality of our biodigesters.
Another example of the great achievements of our team in India has been the alliance with BAIF. Our Sales Manager, Khurram Mujawar, played an important role in consolidating this alliance and helping us to be part of their ambitious IRESA program (Integrated Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture).
BAIF is an organization governed by Gandhian values with the mission of creating self-employment opportunities for rural families, especially disadvantaged communities, ensuring sustainable housing and improving people’s quality of life.
Lastly, in a joint effort by the TechOps and R&D teams, the largest biodigester in the history of Sistema.bio India was installed: a Sistema 560 (14 reactors!). The farm used to spend $1,380 USD a month on diesel or LP gas. Now thanks to Sistema.bio they managed to replace 100% of the LP gas for cooking, heating water and making khoya. They are also saving 60-65% on diesel costs to produce clean electrical energy to power all farm equipment.
Our Meru Hub is leading by example!
In 2018 the Sistema.bio Kenya team started operations in Meru. Since then, the Meru hub has become one of our most efficient branches, having installed over 800 biodigesters. Here are some of the things that make this hub shine bright:
- Meru is the leading region in sales, led by none other than Mary Muthoni & Sophia Karwitha, our Regional Sales Manager and Area Sales Manager!
- The Meru TechOps team is the most efficient: with the smallest technician team, they have the best unit economics (lowest cost per installation) and highest efficiency in resource use —simply put, they make customers happy!
- All of this results in the highest quality loan portfolio, with the largest monthly loan collections and lowest PAR90 in the country!
- The hub is more than just an office: it’s a farm! They own a biodigester, cook with biogas, and produce food with biofertilizer. The team cooks and eats together, shares food with the community and hosts education events.
Big changes to the Sistema.bio team
- Louis-Marie Dubois joins our team!
We are excited to welcome Louis as our new Global Financial Director!
Louis has 15 years of professional experience in finance and strategy in the Banking and Insurance industry. Before joining our team, he worked for AXA Mexico in Strategy & Corporate Development to implement new business models and innovation as well as in Credit Agricole as International Trade Banker in New York. He has 8 years of experience in Auditing, working in 10 countries and as Credit Agricole’s Head of Audit for the Americas. “Having worked on some “green” financings and on how to protect more Mexicans from financial hardship, I wanted to go one big step further. Sistema.bio is the perfect occasion to put finance at the service of our planet and the improvement of farmers’ living conditions”, says Louis.
- Welcome Miguel Granados!
Our LATAM team keeps getting stronger! We are glad to have Miguel Granados join our team as Latin America Director.
For the last 25 years, Miguel has contributed to the successful progress of distinct high-profile companies and organizations. His wide and diverse experience goes from manufacturing management in the textile industry to individual business projects related to farming and machining.
Miguel is not new to the clean cooking industry: for 6 years he worked in life-changing initiatives aiming to fight poverty and increase life quality in rural households through the development of high-efficiency stoves. “I’m excited for this new challenge with a great company, Sistema.bio, not only to keep helping people achieve a better lifestyle but to reach a level of sustainability across all areas in their lives that will enable them to thrive”, says Miguel.
- Adams Amenya is the new leader of Sistema.bio Kenya’s commercial team!
Last but not least, we are very proud to introduce Adams Amenya, our new Kenya National Sales Manager. Adams started out his career as a junior sales representative in a small food manufacturing plant in Nairobi, Kenya, after graduating from the University of Nairobi. Adams collaborated in different initiatives to improve livelihoods on the African continent and has led Commercial teams in the Renewable Energy industry in East Africa for 10 years now. “As a Career Sales and Marketing professional, my joy is always in providing solutions to my clients with every interaction. What Sistema.bio is striving to achieve resonates with my personal goals and, in this regard, thousands are now living better lives using renewable energy sources, systems and applications. It is definitely an honor to be part of this family and I look forward to meeting most of us in person in the future,” says Adams.
- Graham Day is off to new adventures!
Finally, we want to close this section wishing Graham the best in his new journey. Graham joined the Sistema.bio team in 2017 as Colombia’s Country Director. In the four years he’s been a part of our leadership team, Graham has overseen the company’s growth from 40 to over 400 employees and our expansion from a Mexico-based operation to the global family we are now. He has been our CFO for 3 years and has fundraised over 15M USD for our international expansion. More importantly, he has been a welcoming presence in our offices that will surely be missed. And even though we are sad to see him go, we are very excited to hear about the new adventures he will have as Investment Director for Spring Activator. May you continue to find brilliant solutions to humanity’s problems!
Sistema.bio in the spotlight!
These are some of our media appearances and reports from partners:
- Clean cooking Alliance | 2020 Annual Report
- Shell Foundation | DEMONSTRATING THE POTENTIAL OF BIOGAS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SDGS
- Factor[e] | The Opportunity at the Nexus of Energy and Agriculture
- World Economic Forum | Video
- El Comercio Perú | Los biodigestores que proveen biogás y fertilizantes a comunidades ganaderas a nivel nacional
- TaroWorks | Supply Chain Management: Mobile App Navigates Long-Distance Logistics in India
- TaroWorks | Inventory Management: How Biogas Producer Scaled Last Mile Distribution
