Business Trip to Sweden – Witnessing an EVERCELAN™ SEN Trial

Recently, I traveled to Sweden to witness a trial of the EVERCELAN™ Submerged Entry Nozzle (SEN).

In fact, this was my first visit to Sweden.

Since I was scheduled to travel directly to Portugal afterward, I assumed that the weather in May would not be too cold and decided not to bring a down jacket to keep my luggage light. Unfortunately, I soon regretted that decision!

The temperature was only 2–4°C (36–39°F), much colder than I had expected. Being someone who gets cold easily, I spent most of the trip shivering.

Meanwhile, the local Area Manager who accompanied me—a native of Finland—smiled and said:

“It’s a warm day today.”

Well… it certainly did not feel warm to me!

The experience reminded me once again of the different perceptions of climate between people in Northern Europe and those from other parts of the world.

Whenever I went outside, I bundled up in three or four layers of clothing. By the end of the trip, it was so cold that my hands became numb while taking photos, but that, too, is now a good memory.

One of the things I enjoy most during international business trips is visiting local supermarkets.

They are always filled with products that I have never seen in Japan, and discovering new foods and drinks is part of the fun. It often feels like a treasure hunt.

During this trip, I picked up a drink that I assumed was an ordinary fruit juice.

Later, I learned that it was made from lingonberries, a berry that is widely enjoyed throughout the Nordic region.

It had a refreshing tartness and was surprisingly easy to drink. I found it quite delicious.

Experiencing local flavors like this is one of the great pleasures of overseas travel.

In my daily work, most communication with customers takes place through emails and online meetings from Japan. As a result, customer feedback is often received simply as comments such as, “The performance has improved,” or “We are satisfied with the service life.”

However, visiting the site in person allows us to see firsthand how our products and proposals are being used and how they contribute to solving our customers’ challenges.

Seeing our products performing successfully in actual operations was extremely rewarding.

I was also impressed by how cooperative the customer was throughout the visit. The plant was exceptionally clean and well organized, reflecting a strong commitment to workplace safety.

Another observation was the relatively high proportion of women working in manufacturing roles, which highlighted a noticeable difference from Japan and some other regions.

Most importantly, it was gratifying to see firsthand that our products are helping customers address real operational challenges.

Going forward, I would like to continue listening carefully to the voices of our customers and those working on-site so that we can provide even better solutions and support.