AI ou IA?

We were delighted to welcome four representatives from Company T in Brazil for the pre-shipment inspection of their new FALCON FFG. Andre from ISOWA Brazil guided them. I first met two of their top executives two years ago during a dinner at an industry show in Orlando, Florida. 

isowa.hatenablog.jp

This new order follows a machine they have been using for 30 years. It was truly heartening to hear them say, “the machine from 30 years ago is still working hard for us today.”

When they visited ISOWA on Friday, I unfortunately missed them due to my annual health checkup. However, I was able to join them for breakfast the next morning. When I asked for their impressions of the visit, they were incredibly gracious: “The machinery was excellent. But more than that, we learned so much from the ‘ISOWA-bito,’ the culture, and the overall atmosphere. As a family business ourselves, there was much we wanted to emulate.” It’s the greatest joy for me to have a customer show interest not only in the machines, but also in the unseen “iceberg beneath the surface”—our values and culture, that makes them possible. Our breakfast was filled with insightful questions about ISOWA’s philosophy and my management style.

During our conversation, we stumbled upon a funny topic regarding the acronym “IA.” At ISOWA, “IA” stands for ISOWA America. However, in Brazil, “IA” refers to Artificial Intelligence! In Portuguese, it is Inteligência Artificial, so the initials are reversed compared to English (AI). They joked that they sometimes get ISOWA America and Artificial Intelligence mixed up. Well, perhaps that’s because ISOWA America is just as smart as AI! (laughs)

They kindly invited me to visit Brazil, and I gave them one condition: “It must be during the futbol season. Please don’t invite me during the off-season!” (laughs). If all goes well, I might be watching an authentic futbol match in Brazil for the first time in six years. I have a lot to look forward to!

isowa.hatenablog.jp

Talking with the young, new generation of leadership from Company T was truly stimulating. Whether in Japan or Brazil, I believe management that truly values people is the path to success.

Thank you so much for traveling from the other side of the world to visit us!

Let' work smarter!

Last week, three members from ISOWA America—Ron, Kaiser, and Andy—visited Japan to attend the annual meeting.

ISOWA America delivered very strong performance in the previous fiscal year (October 2024 to September 2025).

Repeat orders from existing customers increased, while new customers were acquired as a result of our strong market reputation. Furthermore, delivery records across North and South America expanded, and the parts and service business continued to grow.

Rather than resting on these achievements, we spent four days in intensive and productive discussions focused on driving cultural reform at ISOWA America, overcoming the impact of Trump-era tariffs, and achieving further growth. These discussions were extremely meaningful.

As this was Andy’s first visit to Japan, being able to directly experience ISOWA’s culture and corporate spirit will surely prove valuable in his future career at ISOWA. It is also very encouraging to see the growing number of members who have previously been stationed at ISOWA America, as they are contributing greatly to stronger communication between Japan and the U.S.

On the final evening, we held a dinner to thank everyone for their efforts.

Apparently, Kaiser’s daughter is very curious about what her father eats in Japan, so he took photos of every dish as it was served.

He usually avoids desserts for health reasons, but when he comes to Japan, he can’t resist the temptation. Wanting to keep this a secret from his family, I suggested, “Then why don’t you just take a photo of the last remaining strawberry?”

He happily did just that (laughs).

Kaiser—the George Clooney of ISOWA America—is a favorite with everyone.

 

At the end, we received some souvenirs: two kinds of organic tea.

Ron shared the story behind them.

“If you drink the one on the left, ‘Memory Magic,’ 99% of the time your mind will feel clear. Still worried about the remaining 1%? No problem—just drink the one on the right, ‘Worry Ease,’ and it will blow your anxiety away.”

I see! Just like strategy, a good story matters even for souvenirs. I’ll follow your advice and choose accordingly. Thank you!

 

Let’s work smart!

ISOWA keeps you going - always on the go to make folks happy in the corrugated world.

"Shrine visit” for GOD PARENTS

 

Yoshiko was s classmate of mine at the Affiliated Upper Secondary School of Nagoya University. However, I don’t have any clear memories of her from that time.

At a class reunion after we graduated, I learned that she was working as a translator, and we wondered if I might ask for her help someday.

The first time I did was when I asked her to help revise the ISOWA Diary, which Hitomi and Hikaru had translated.

That was in 2010, when we were working on the phrase:

“ISOWA keeps you going – always on the go.”

My first draft, by the way, was:

“We, ISOWA never stop you. Nor do we stop ourselves.”

I struggled with the wording for some time and eventually asked her for advice. Then John joined the discussion. John was a journalist and a former reporter for The Japan Times.

After exchanging ideas with the two of them, we finally settled on:

“ISOWA keeps you going – always on the go.”

 

More recently, I asked for their help again, this time in naming a new machine.

This kind of collaborative work is truly enjoyable. Not only in this case, but in general, the process of repeatedly exchanging ideas and refining concepts is extremely fun.

That’s how we came up with an absolutely brilliant name. I’ll share the details once the machine is complete.