Valmet Industrial NEXUS Launch Event

Labor shortages and skills gaps are already challenging the industry, slowing down growth and investments in Finland. With experienced experts retiring and new skills emerging, preserving and sharing critical knowledge is becoming increasingly important.

Future industrial work will depend on diverse teams, adaptable skills, and rapidly evolving technologies. Beyond reducing harm, sustainability is increasingly about restoration and resilience. As industries face growing pressure due to geopolitical uncertainty, environmental challenges, and accelerating technological change, companies must rethink how work is designed and how to empower people through transformation.

The core of the five-year Industrial NEXUS program is to create a fundamental shift in ways of working and the skills future industry requires, in close collaboration with the ecosystem. 

Securing attractive jobs and closing the skills gap requires investment in people-centered industry, continuous skills development, and collaboration across sectors.

Valmet's unique expertise in automation and process technologies provides an excellent foundation to lead industrial transformation in Finland. Through the previous Beyond Circularity Veturi program, Valmet has already built and led a strong innovation ecosystem boosting Finland’s competitiveness and green transition in Valmet’s customer industries. Strong partnerships, existing ways to operate, and the continuous engagement of new ecosystem partners build a solid foundation for Industrial NEXUS to renew industrial work through a diverse ecosystem. 

The program is partly funded by Business Finland as part of its Leading companies (Veturi) initiative to address societal challenges and strengthen R&D investments in Finland.

Industrial NEXUS aims to lead the transformation of industrial work through advanced technology and human-centered innovation. Finland will be a global front-runner in adaptive, attractive, resilient and regenerative industry.  

The Industrial NEXUS ecosystem combines economic growth, societal impact, advanced technology, human-centered design, and environmental responsibility. Led by Valmet, Industrial NEXUS connects AI, data, and human‑machine collaboration to build safer, more productive, and people‑centered industrial environments for the future.

Through joint RDI initiatives, ecosystem partners can accelerate industrial renewal, strengthen competitiveness, and unlock new global business and export opportunities in rapidly evolving markets. 
 

Join the Industrial NEXUS Ecosystem

Stream 1: Connected self-operating mills

Stream 1 develops building blocks for digitalization of future mills and plants.

Development focus:

• Process and quality measurements that provide essential data for managing the process
• Data management framework, analytic tools and AI-based methods for turning data into meaningful information  
• Process and mill level optimization and digital twins that move production towards higher level of autonomy
• Asset performance management including automated, data-driven methods to secure reliability of production assets 

Stream 2: Self-learning processes and full lifecycle

Stream 2 focuses on renewing industrial work to make it more human-centric and self learning.

Development focus:

• Circular performance & lifecycle intelligence
• Proactive maintenance services to ensure reliable production
• Seamless digital customer experience
• Learning solutions to strengthen process excellence and improve safety
• Industrial electrification from fossil energy to carbon-free electricity
• Intelligent, resilient process solutions