Think you know Metso as an employer? 4 common misconceptions debunked

This article was created in commercial collaboration with Duunitori.

Iina Vaajamo began her journey at Metso over a decade ago, starting as a Metallurgist at Outotec, which later merged with Metso in 2020. Her career has taken her from metallurgist roles to product and project management, allowing her to travel the world working on fascinating projects and eventually finding a passion for sales.

Just over a year ago, she was promoted to Director, Sales & Services Minerals, leading the sales teams for the mining sector in Finland. Her role today is diverse, involving customer interactions, people leadership, and helping teams achieve their goals.

”We invest heavily in teamwork. None of us can succeed alone. Our work is sometimes challenging, and the sales processes are often lengthy. But we tackle challenges together and work towards our goals as a team. The best part of my job is definitely the people,” Vaajamo says.

Ocler Martinez joined Metso in 2021 as an Agile Coach, the first-ever agile coach position at Metso. Since then, the team around him has grown, and today, Metso has six internal coaches alongside several external coaching consultants. In addition to coaching, Martinez is also a culture ambassador, promoting Metso’s culture and values across the company.

He enjoys his work because it offers him a fascinating opportunity to continuously learn while collaborating with professionals across Metso, helping people grow and witness the company’s culture transformation journey.

”We coach teams with the agile mindset combined with Metso culture, values and leadership principles to develop and implement software, digital assets, systems, platforms and applications, for example. Our main goal is to help them overcome obstacles, continuously improve, achieve their targets and exceed customers’ expectations. Our main focus is our Metsonites, ’our people’,” Martinez summarizes his role.

Below, Vaajamo and Martinez debunk four myths about working at Metso and share the reality.

Myth #1: Metso only hires engineers

While many Metso employees are engineers like Vaajamo and Martinez, that doesn’t mean the company only hires engineers.

”Engineers are essential, and we absolutely need them. However, we are a global company with close to 17,000 employees, and we need people from various educational and professional backgrounds: HR, lawyers, marketers, controllers, business developers, coders, sustainability specialists, field professionals, welders, project managers, sales professionals… the list goes on,” Vaajamo says.

”And now, with the evolution of AI, we also see more Cloud AI Services, data specialists and content designers joining our teams,” adds Martinez. ”We are attracting a lot of new talent from various fields worldwide. We put a lot of work into diversity and inclusion, and it shows.”

”Just look at me: I am originally from Nicaragua, but here I am, living in Finland and working for a Finnish company. We have Metsonites from all around the globe. In my opinion, our organization is multicultural, inclusive, respectful and very human,” Martinez says.

”Our culture is very strong. You get to try different roles and find your own path. I, for example, used to say that I would never work in sales. However, I ended up in a sales role and realized that I actually like sales a lot,” Vaajamo adds.

Myth #2: Metso operates primarily in the forest industry

”We have a legacy of +100 years with a long history, and there is that historical stereotype, so this is not completely wrong. Still, we have evolved and are continuously evolving into a much more modern company,” Martinez comments on the second myth.

Vaajamo finds the second myth surprising: ”This is actually the first time I’ve heard someone say this. Maybe it comes from our history with Valmet”, she says.

That is indeed the case. The history of the current company, Metso, started in 1999 when two Finnish companies, Valmet, a leading paper and board machine supplier, and Rauma, a company specializing in fiber technology, rock crushing, and flow control solutions, merged. The name ”Metso,” Finnish for the capercaillie, a strong and resilient woodland bird, was selected in an employee naming contest. Just like the bird, Metso thrives in tough environments, symbolizing the company’s strength and deep Finnish roots.

In 2013, Metso and Valmet demerged. Valmet continued in the pulp, paper and power businesses, while Metso focused on the minerals processing industry.

”Now, our main focus is on the mining and aggregates industries. The process from ore to metal involves several stages, and we are present in the whole value chain. Our product and service portfolio is extensive and suitable for various applications. Thus, we also serve customers in other industries, such as pulp and paper industry, food processing, recycling, and energy,” Vaajamo explains.

Myth #3: Metso is a traditional company

”I understand why someone might think this. The mining industry has been around for a long time and is often seen as very traditional. But the field has evolved and continues changing all the time. I’d say that Metso is a great place to work if you want to stay current, keep evolving and make a meaningful impact on the world,” Vaajamo says.

”Currently, we are attracting a lot of new talent and young professionals who are very competent. I think this is because we have done many things right and are moving in the right direction as a company. We are growing and always looking for diverse talent,” Martinez continues.

”Evolving is important, and we need to stay relevant to the people and businesses we serve. We emphasize sustainability and a people-first mindset in our strategy. For example, we encourage our customers to become more planet-friendly with better digital tools,” he continues.

”I also love to talk about our research and development. It is an important focus area for us because, without R&D, we wouldn’t be able to move forward the way we do,” Vaajamo says.

”We have R&D centers globally, including Finland. We offer a wide range of services, from lab testing to large-scale pilots, and it is one area where we offer real value to our customers.”

Myth #4: Metso’s operations are harmful to the environment

Metso’s operations have environmental impacts, similar to all other industrial technology companies that use raw materials to produce goods and services for their customers. We aim to minimize these impacts throughout the value chain, from supply chains to customer processes.

”We recognize that the mining industry has environmental impacts, and therefore, we are deeply committed to working together with our customers to develop more sustainable technologies that support responsible sourcing and processing of minerals and aggregates,” Martinez says.

”I understand why many people might feel that our field is not optimal to the environment. However, it is not that simple. The modern world needs metals; that’s a fact. The energy transition will require large investments in, e.g., renewable power generation, transmission infrastructure and battery technologies. This, in turn, will require large and rapid increases in the supply of metals. We seek to drive the operators in our industry towards more sustainable processes,” Vaajamo adds.

”We take the environment and sustainability into account in everything we do, and tackling climate change is one of our key goals. Metso’s most significant environmental impacts result from customer use of our products and processes. We can support our customers’ environmental efforts by developing water and energy-efficient solutions and advancing metals recycling. We have an ambitious net zero by 2030 target for our own operations, and we work closely with our vast supply chain to develop better practices going forward.”

”I believe Metso is a great place to choose as an employer if you want to make an impact. I encourage anyone to choose this field in general. Additionally, I would love to see more women in our field,” Vaajamo concludes.