Metso to lift cleantech R&D funding
- 6 March 2026
Finnish mineral processing equipment manufacturer Metso is swinging most of its annual inhouse research and development spend behind development of cleaner, greener products it believes will accelerate growth in its sales over the next decade.
The company says in its just-released 2025 annual report it wants to expand sales of Metso Plus products and services faster than revenues generated by the rest of its minerals and aggregates equipment portfolio. It sold €1.46 billion (US$1.69 billion) of Metso Plus equipment, products and services in 2025 and invested about 2.3% of its $6.09 billion total revenues (circa $142 million) on internal R&D.
“Metso aims to grow Metso Plus sales faster than overall sales and to have a Metso Plus product in every part of the customer value chain where Metso operates,” the company says in its 2025 report.
“To achieve this Metso targets to spend 80% of its R&D spend on the sustainable Metso Plus portfolio by 2030 and 100% of its annual R&D project spend on projects with sustainability targets for energy efficiency, emissions reductions, water efficiency, circularity or safety improvements.”
Metso said 2025 Metso Plus orders ranged from flotation flowsheet beneficiation and dewatering equipment for a copper-gold project in Pakistan and key plant for a copper concentrator in Australia to a “portable plug-and-play high pressure grinding roll [HPGR] circuit” for a gold mine and process equipment for a greenfield iron ore concentrator in Oman.
The manufacturer’s total orders grew 3.7% year-on-year in 2025 to circa-$6.35 billion.
CEO Sami Takaluoma said under new financial targets Metso aimed to lift its 2025 c4.25% sales growth rate to “at least 7%” by 2028.
“Throughout 2025 we made determined progress toward our targets despite uncertainties in our operating environment,” he said.
“At the end of the year we announced a few significant mining equipment orders that had been in the works for a long time. I see this as a sign that, as an industry, we have learned to better adapt to the changing operating environment and to make bold investment decisions that enable us to meet the growing future demand for aggregates, minerals and metals.
“Deglobalisation, geopolitics, sustainability, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, automation and the depletion of mineral reserves all impact on our customers and their priorities and Metso is in a key position to meet these needs and demands.
“In 2025, we further strengthened our position as a technology leader in critical minerals and secured several significant deliveries around the world. Our expertise and innovative solutions keep us at the forefront of the rapidly evolving needs of the minerals sector.”
The company said growing global demand for energy-efficient comminution was evident in its 2025 order intake and equipment deliveries in Australia, Brazil, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Namibia, Oman and Tanzania. It acquired Swiss Tower Mills Minerals to extend its comminution portfolio.
“Going forward, Metso will continue to advance technologies that improve energy and cost efficiency, such as early waste rejection to eliminate excess grinding, and coarse particle flotation to reduce energy use in grinding stages,” the company said.
“In a market full of emerging technologies, Metso stands apart through rigorous new technology validation practices. Metso develops and models hybrid flowsheets, designed for each ore type, operational need and sustainability goal the customer may have.
“This applies also to beneficiation solutions.
“A new separation laboratory in Pori, Finland, opened in 2025, features a comprehensive scope of advanced flotation technologies like the Concorde Cell and the FloatForce+ for TankCell flotation cells. These innovations deliver higher recovery rates, optimise froth performance and reduce energy consumption.”
The Metso Plus Concorde Cell is described by the manufacturer as a high-intensity pneumatic flotation innovation that lowers water and energy use while cutting CO2 emissions per tonne of metals such as copper, nickel, gold and platinum.
Metso says its new coarse particle flotation (CPF) cell, introducing a novel deep-froth pneumatic design that eliminates the need for fluidised beds, can radically simplify CPF design and slash water consumption to enable more efficient, profitable and sustainable process circuits to be built.
The CPF cell is set for commercial launch in 2026 following industrial-scale testing.
Meanwhile, Metso continues to invest in its aftermarket service ecosystem, including the digital technologies enabling more sophisticated customer connections.
“Our key initiatives for securing and growing aftermarket captivity include investing heavily in digital innovation and AI, technology development and product management,” the company said.
“Localisation and geopolitics are driving the minerals and aggregates industries to build stronger, local supply chains. Competitive regional supply chains are one of Metso's key priorities. Geopolitical risks may hinder investments but also offer opportunities for innovation. Market fundamentals in the industries we serve continue to offer opportunities for growth.
“The growing demand for digital and AI enabled solutions is revolutionising the industry, driving efficiency and innovation. At the same time, depleting ore grades and decreasing access to high quality resources in optimal locations are forcing the industry to innovate and adapt.
“These fundamentals are driving long-term demand for innovative solutions, offering opportunities for Metso's growth.”
