Jaakko Salo, an AMK engineer with thirteen years of experience in measurement solutions for the sawmill industry, moved to Finnos in 2021. His career at Finnos began as a Research and Development Manager, with his primary task being the development of a board scanner product. Since 2023, he has been responsible for the development of the Finnos Board Scanner in the role of Product Manager.
Knowledge of wood and technical expertise are a combination that has provided a good foundation for the current role, in which Jaakko is responsible for innovating measurement solutions for the sawmill industry.
Jaakko's workdays begin with a daily development team meeting, where current issues and client projects are discussed. After that, a typical workday consists of advancing projects, programming work, and guiding the development team.
– My work combines planning, monitoring, and hands-on implementation. I've been involved in developing the board meter from the very beginning. In practice, I'm responsible for its development, functionality, and customer satisfaction. Working closely with customers is an important part of my role, Jaakko explains.
As with all knowledge work, the ability to prioritize is important in Jaakko's role. Finnox currently has projects in Finland, other Nordic countries, and America, so there is no shortage of matters requiring attention and advancement.
– You have to be able to prioritize tasks so that the development and project teams focus on what's essential, Jaakko says.
For the best parts of his job, Jaakko names versatility and independence. He also likes that the results of development work are concrete and can be seen directly in the customer's production.
When asked if there's any particular moment from his career at Finnoc that stands out, Jaakko quickly answers: the completion of the board meter product and its first delivery to a customer.
We started from scratch, and in the end, the sawmill had a functioning measuring device. It was a big achievement for the whole team.
In Jaakko's opinion, Finnos stands out from other industry players with its special expertise.
Finnos is a domestic company that develops measurement and software solutions for the sawmill industry in a way that is unique worldwide.
Jaakko is also satisfied with Finnos's work community. The atmosphere is open and conducive to discussion, which supports development work and decision-making. Collaboration with different departments, such as sales and marketing, is close and important in order to respond effectively to customer needs.
The development team led by Jaakko aims to ensure that the Finnos Board Scanner remains at the forefront of development and that new solutions can be offered to customers according to their wishes.
Integrating data from different Finnos measuring devices is one of the most important future development directions. When a customer has several Finnos measuring devices, we are able to better analyze and measure the entire sawing process from log to finished board. Combining this data offers the customer a broader view of the production process, which in turn enables more efficient control and optimization. The goal is to help the customer maximize the value of the raw material and improve production profitability, Jaakko says.
Developing new solutions and the tangible impact of product development work motivate Jaakko. He finds his work particularly rewarding when the innovations created by the development team are put into practice and bring real benefits to customers.
– The customer is at the heart of the work. Customer satisfaction is achieved by meeting the customer's needs with, for example, new solutions and good product support, Jaakko summarizes.
Tukkikatu 5
53900 Lappeenranta, Finland
2026 © Finnos Oy | All Rights Reserved | by DevelopIt // Creative
