Janusz Kowalewski

If anyone doesn’t know him, he represents the Ipsen vacuum furnace company in Asia. An exceptional man with exceptional qualities. Today on LinkedIn he published his new post about his incredible world of vacuum furnaces. It’s really worth a read.

„Hello from Amazing Vacuum Furnace World. I have worked in five countries for four companies throughout my career, where I have held eleven positions ranging from Application Engineer to CEO. In hindsight, I can say that I have worked in all essential countries with the largest heat treatment industries in the world, but in the wrong sequence. I should have started working in Germany to learn about the technology, then in Japan to understand manufacturing processes, then in the US for its flexibility and design ingenuity, followed by China for its speed, and finally in India to implement all the above that I have learned.

So now, Japan is my favorite country by default. (BTW, my permanent address is in Florida.) I like Japan for all the little and big things that make Japan, Japan. I like the superior Japanese infrastructure, transportation system, safe environment, beautiful landscapes, and, most importantly, helpful and kind Japanese people. The best description of the little things can be summarized by this sentence from a Japanese website for foreigners: “we cannot rent you an apartment not because you are a foreigner, but because you are not Japanese.” Also, I have found that you cannot open a bank account unless you have lived in Japan for six months, and sometimes they refuse to cut your hair because you do not speak Japanese. 

I came to Japan to share my experiences in heat treatment technology, vacuum furnaces, and processes. Japan leads in many technologies, but general vacuum heat equipment is not one. The Japanese heat treatment equipment market is about $300M depending on the economic situation in a particular year. One of the advantages and disadvantages of the Japanese buying pattern is that it is challenging to become an equipment supplier to a new customer. However, if you become an approved and trusted supplier, you will have a loyal buyer for life. The point is that the Japanese believe that Japan operates differently from the rest of the world, where social stability, harmony, and satisfying customers are more important than growth and profit. Few practical tips for the Japanese market:

Do not be creative with your offers with too many options

• Describe the product in precise technical terms
• Do not oversell, do not overpromise
• Describe upfront product limitations
• Do not offer discounts or rebates

Remember, you are trying to create a customer for life, not just to gain a single sale“

Thanks Janusz

And why did it interest me? Well, because I wish it worked like this everywhere, not just in Japan.

September 2, 2022

Jiří Stanislav