Sensmet appoints Jyri Hämäläinen as Chief Product Officer

Sensmet has appointed Jyri Hämäläinen as Chief Product Officer, putting him in charge of product development for the Finnish company's metals monitoring instruments.

He joins as Sensmet looks to expand the use of its continuous metals measurement technology across industrial markets including mining, wastewater treatment, battery recycling, lithium production and fertiliser manufacturing.

Hämäläinen brings more than 25 years of experience in technology, product development, sales and marketing. Most recently, he was co-founder and director at Emberion, where he set product strategy and led global sales and marketing as the photonics company moved from early development to an exit.

Earlier in his career, he held director roles at Nokia Technologies focused on sales development and commercial partnerships. He also worked in heavy industry and at Boston Consulting Group.

The appointment follows two funding awards worth a combined EUR 4 million: EUR 2.5 million from the EIC and EUR 1.5 million from EIT RawMaterials.

Monitoring push

Sensmet's main product is based on its Micro-Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy, or μDOES, technology, which analyses multiple metals in aqueous samples in real time. The system is designed to provide continuous readings from process streams and transfer results directly to customer data management systems for process control.

The technology can monitor metals including lithium, nickel, sodium, cobalt, manganese and copper. It is aimed at users that need faster data than conventional laboratory sampling can provide.

The instrument works by generating a micro-discharge in a diluted sample taken from a process stream. The discharge heats a microscopic volume of fluid to around 10,000°C, causing atoms to emit light at characteristic wavelengths that can be measured to quantify metal concentrations.

The analyser is paired with Senspec software, which displays concentrations, trends and alarm levels for detected metals. The software also adjusts for cross-interference effects in more complex sample matrices.

One target use is monitoring impurities in pregnant leach solutions, where measurements at parts-per-million levels can help operators manage process control and product quality. Another is environmental monitoring, where continuous readings of heavy metals at low concentrations can support earlier leak detection and faster response.

"I am very pleased to be joining Sensmet at this pivotal stage in the company's growth," said Jyri Hämäläinen, Chief Product Officer, Sensmet.

"Sensmet's core technology is extremely impressive and has been proven in a wide variety of applications. By delivering a solution for the continuous measurement of metal concentrations, Sensmet has resolved a major challenge for many rapidly growing industries, so I am excited to take on a role that will help leverage that technology and make it applicable to a much wider group of customers and applications."

Sensmet's sales team says continuous measurement addresses a longstanding gap in industrial process management, where laboratory analysis has often introduced delays and added cost.

"The ability to deliver continuous measurements in almost real time is crucially important," said Aappo Roos, Chief Sales Officer, Sensmet.

"In the past, it would have been necessary to collect samples for laboratory analysis, which incurs unacceptable delays that hinder effective process control. In addition, lab testing is laborious and expensive. Consequently, μDOES technology is ideal for industries such as mining, wastewater treatment, battery recycling, lithium production and fertiliser manufacture."

Sensmet is positioning the technology for sectors tied to the production and recycling of critical materials, where operators are under pressure to improve recovery rates, reduce waste and maintain tighter control over product quality.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Toni Laurila said Hämäläinen's experience would be important as the business develops.

"We are delighted to welcome Jyri to the Sensmet team. He is a highly accomplished individual with impressive credentials, and I am sure he will play an important role in accelerating Sensmet's growth," said Laurila.