On September 17, 2024, Metso marked a significant milestone in its digital strategy by inaugurating a state-of-the-art Digital Design and Development Studio in Krakow, Poland. This move underscores the company’s ongoing investment in digitalization and innovation, aligning with its core strengths in equipment, processing, and material expertise. Metso’s goal is clear: to empower its global minerals processing customers with cutting-edge digital solutions that enhance operational efficiency, sustainability, and customer experience.
The Role of Krakow’s Digital Studio
With approximately 50 digital experts initially working in the Krakow office—and plans to expand rapidly—this studio is set to play a pivotal role in driving Metso’s digital transformation. The studio will focus on several key areas of development, including software design, artificial intelligence (AI), data analysis, and user experience (UX) design. This facility will contribute directly to Metso’s digital portfolio, which supports three primary objectives:
- Equipment Performance: Enhancing Life Cycle Services (LCS), remote condition monitoring, and prescriptive maintenance to maximize equipment uptime and optimize performance.
- Process Optimization: Developing digital solutions that improve ore-to-metal processes, increasing efficiency and sustainability.
- Business Enablement: Creating data-driven environments that enhance both customer experience and employee productivity through AI-augmented tools.
Industry Impact and Customer Value
Olivier Guyot, Senior Vice President of Minerals Digital at Metso, emphasized that digital tools are increasingly critical for mining companies to optimize their operations. He noted that digital solutions not only increase productivity and sustainability but also help address key industry challenges such as labor shortages and the widening knowledge gap. By integrating AI, remote monitoring, and other digital capabilities, Metso’s clients can improve throughput, recoveries, and overall operational efficiency.
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Moreover, Metso’s decision to base the development studio in Poland reflects a broader industry trend toward insourcing digital capabilities to enhance cybersecurity and safeguard sensitive data. This studio will serve as a central hub for the development of next-generation digital tools that can seamlessly integrate with existing plant ecosystems, regardless of the equipment supplier.
Strategic Vision
Metso’s digital push, reflected in this Krakow venture, is part of a long-term strategy aimed at staying competitive in an industry increasingly shaped by technological innovation. With platforms like the ACT/OCS-4D™ for advanced process control and the Geminex™ digital twin, Metso has already made significant strides in offering digital solutions. The Krakow studio is expected to further expand this portfolio, making the company an even stronger player in the software domain for minerals processing.
As the demand for minerals rises—especially for metals required in electrification—Metso’s focus on digitalization positions it to not only support its customers’ immediate needs but also to address the broader industry challenges of sustainability and efficiency.
By consolidating its digital capabilities in Krakow, Metso is betting on the future of digital solutions as a crucial element in the ongoing transformation of the mining industry.
