On a journey towards AI-driven HR service solutions across 50 countries

Making HR-related information accessible

Metso is a global frontrunner in sustainable technologies and services for the aggregates, minerals processing and metals refining industries. With close to 18,000 employees in around 50 countries, the company operates in a highly diverse environment where HR practices, regulations, and languages vary significantly.

As in many global organizations, essential HR information such as absences, payroll and employee benefits is available on the intranet, but not always easy to find or interpret. HR teams are managing a high volume of recurring questions submitted via email, chat and phone, alongside other responsibilities.

“Employees often come to us with similar questions, simply because the information is difficult to find or understand. We wanted to make it easier for them to get answers independently, whenever they need them” says Minna Renholm, Sr. Manager, HR Operations & Systems at Metso.

To improve both employee experience and efficiency, Metso began exploring how AI could make HR-related information more accessible and easier to use.

A pilot project to validate the best solution for Metso

The work started with a proof-of-concept project, where a simple web-based chatbot was tested with internal stakeholders, using a limited set of HR documentation. This helped the team to plan the solution concept for the next phase. Four countries were selected for the pilot, where Metso implemented an off-the-shelf solution for two countries and a Solita-developed tailored AI assistant for the other two countries.

The pilot was carried out in close collaboration between Metso’s HR, IT, Solita’s experts, and other partners. Solita focused on the AI assistant itself, built on the Microsoft Azure AI platform.

Early in the project, one critical factor became clear: data quality is key to AI assistants’ success. The existing intranet content wasn’t structured or optimized for AI use, which meant improving and harmonizing that data was as a key initiative for Metso’s HR, and technical experts.

Based on the pilot results, the tailored solution developed with Solita proved the best fit both for adapting to Metso’s technology landscape and for scaling cost-efficiently across a global organization.

AskHR AI assistant finds relevant information fast and reliably

Together, Metso and Solita created AskHR, an intelligent self-service AI assistant that quickly helps Metso employees find accurate answers from internal HR documentation.

It retrieves relevant information and provides clear, context-aware answers. Instead of searching across multiple systems or contacting HR, employees can now access the information they need in seconds.

Experimental mindset and open communication were key to success

During the pilot, open communication, the ability to react quickly, and wide commitment from all parties were crucial for success.

“The AskHR project was approached with an experimental mindset. Everyone understood that some things might not work at first. We tested, validated, and solved challenges as we went,” says Vili Koistinen, Senior AI Designer at Solita.

Stakeholders across the organization – from leadership to HR, and project teams – were actively involved throughout the pilot, ensuring alignment with business goals.

“Excellent project management, openness, and active participation in the Metso team were essential for achieving these results. Whenever we needed feedback or decisions, we got them quickly so we could move forward,” says Vili Koistinen.

“AskHR AI Assistant exemplifies a robust and scalable design leveraging AI and data services. Throughout the partnership, the Solita team demonstrated exceptional expertise, proactive communication, and a commitment to achieve shared objectives in a multilateral project development team. Continuing with the same team from pilot to rollout ensured continuity and made the transition both smooth and efficient. Together, we have delivered an innovative solution that has improved the employee accessibility to HR information,” says Diana Toscano, AskHR Technical Lead, Metso IT.

Designed for global scale

Designed for a global organization, the solution is easy to take in use in different countries and languages. New markets can be onboarded almost in a plug-and-play kind of way, with HR teams simply providing their local content, which is then integrated into the solution via automation. There is even a ready set of questions to test local content quality and identify improvements before launching in a new country.

This minimizes technical effort and makes it possible to expand the assistant quickly while maintaining quality and consistency. It has significantly simplified adoption and rollout across the organization.

“Now that the foundation is in place, onboarding new markets is very straightforward, which is critical in a global organization like ours,” says Diana Toscano. “AskHR also serves managers of our international teams better as they can now find accurate information of each country easier.”

Adopting case management alongside AI Assistant

Even though the global rollout is still ongoing, the impact of AskHR is already clearly visible. Employees have widely adopted the solution, using it to independently find answers that previously required contacting HR. The experience is fast, intuitive, and accessible.

“The first six months with AskHR AI Assistant are now behind us, and the experience is very positive. More than 40% of our target group have already used AskHR during its first months, and we are very happy with the adoption. We are delighted to see AskHR in use, enabling such a smart and fast way to find information and connect with HR,” says Sara Paananen, Director, Strategic HR Projects at Metso.

“This is our path towards even better HR support and great employee experience. Already now approximately 80% of feedback given to the query is positive. We hope to introduce more AskHR features in the future, powered by the possibilities of AI,” she continues.

AskHR is integrated with Metso’s existing case management platform, centralizing employee requests in one platform. With this implementation, Metso HR hopes to significantly ease the tracking, prioritizing and resolving HR cases, and increasing operational efficiency.

About Metso

Metso is a front runner in sustainable technologies, end-to-end solutions and services for the aggregates, minerals processing and metals refining industries globally. Metso improves customers’ energy and water efficiency, increases customers’ productivity, and reduces environmental risks with its product and service expertise.

Metso is headquartered in Espoo, Finland. At the end of 2025 Metso had close to 18,000 employees in around 50 countries, and sales in 2025 were about EUR 5.3 billion. Metso is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.

All photos copyright by Metso.