Filtrabit strengthens engineering team with exceptional young talent Ilari Juntti

Team Filtrabit profile: Application Engineer Ilari Juntti joins Filtrabit after thoroughly impressing the team during his master’s thesis work for Outokumpu.

Despite his young age, his background includes various roles working for Outokumpu, as well as the University of Oulu and Finnair.

He received his Master of Science (Engineering) degree from the University of Oulu in 2026 with a major in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Industrial Engineering and Management. He also studied Environmental Engineering and Information Technology at the University of Southern Denmark as an exchange student.

You came on Filtrabit’s radar through your master’s thesis work for Outokumpu. Can you tell us about the journey?

“I specifically wanted to choose a thesis subject that was directly linked to the physical world and not just data science. The R&D engineers at Outokumpu suggested various topics before D&Q Manager Mika Päätalo took me to see the Filtrabit unit. I knew instantly that this was the perfect fit for a master’s thesis. Novel technology applied in the real world with a dual purpose of improving air quality and recovering raw materials.

The economics of the ferrochrome collected by Filtrabit’s dust control system combined with the reduced waste management fees turned out to be the most interesting part, not only for myself but for Outokumpu and Filtrabit, too.

During the work I had to dive deep into some pretty unfamiliar subjects like the chemistry of dust explosions, and I learned a ton. All in all, I’m glad the hard work paid off. I’ve been told by both Outokumpu and Filtrabit that the analysis has been very useful for them, and the University did reward me with the highest possible grade.”

You have a fair bit of work experience despite being a recent graduate, can you tell us about the roles you’ve had?

“I worked at Outokumpu’s Tornio stainless steel plant starting in 2022 as a Maintenance Mechanic at the smelter. For the next two summers I was a Mechanical Maintenance Foreman and afterwards worked in R&D on the quality side of things, mostly in data analysis, before the master’s thesis work.

During my studies I also did some work for the University of Oulu in ambassador activities, marketing and presentation skills training.

Before joining Filtrabit, I was already committed to a trainee program at Finnair, where I got some very useful experience working on the data analytics side of maintenance but I’m glad to be back working more closely with applications in the physical world.”

How do you see heavy industry developing in the coming decades?

“I do feel that heavy industry in general is still in its infancy as far as applying concepts like Lean and adopting new methods and technologies.

I believe that data analytics will become much more of a part of the day-to-day operations and AI will obviously play a role in that. More and better data to improve decision making is the name of the game.”

In what areas of development would you yourself like to make an impact in?

“I’d like to see a change in the sense of ownership for emissions mitigation systems. At the moment they’re often an afterthought forced by regulation and sometimes fall into an operational no-man’s-land.

With modern technologies that enable circular economy solutions and market forces like dwindling natural resources and the demand for green steel, the ingredients for a paradigm shift are there.”

Tell us about your life outside of work. Where are you from and where do you live now?

“I’m originally from Tornio in Northern Finland and now I live in Oulu. I did my military service even further up North in Sodankylä, in the middle of Lapland. I studied a semester in Denmark and lived in the capital region down South for a while but I’m always pulled towards Northern Finland. There’s something about the vast open country and being close to real nature in a wilderness state that can’t be replicated. We still get the full range of the seasons with deep, snow-covered winters and all.

I’m into a pretty down-to-earth lifestyle and enjoy fishing, going on long walks and listening to podcasts. I like cooking steaks or smoked fish with friends and a nice sauna with a beer to top it off. I’m fairly social even though I enjoy the outdoors a lot.”

“Sports have played a major role in my life as well. I’ve played ice hockey from a young age, along with basketball and even a bit of mixed martial arts up until a catastrophic elbow injury.

I also have a natural do-it-yourself attitude in life and enjoy fixing cars and motorcycles for example.”

What attracted you to Filtrabit and how has the reception been?

“Working with Filtrabit during my thesis work, I immediately got the sense that this is a company with immense forward motion and a real buzz around it.

In general I’m attracted to problem-solving and working in a team on a project with momentum and a sense of urgency. Even though I have experience working with data, I do prefer to be able to put my hands on what I’m working on. To get that sense of doing things in the real world and seeing visible improvements.

Of course I’m from a generation that’s already a lot more aware of the consequences of pollution and things like the importance of respiratory health. Working on something important is almost a presumption and not just a nice-to-have.

So far I’ve been received extremely well. There are a lot of smart people around me and they have listened to what I have to say without prejudice for my relatively young age. I absolutely look forward to continually developing various skills and working in an organization where I can have real ownership in projects, all the while helping the world with clean breathing air.”

About Filtrabit
Filtrabit is a Finnish manufacturer of industrial-scale dust extraction systems. Filtrabit’s solution effectively extracts microparticles from industrial dust-laden gas streams, which helps reduce air pollutants from industrial sources and accelerate emissions reductions through the reuse of recovered raw materials.