Manuel Romero

“It was written in English, and it almost felt like it was describing me. I checked all the boxes,” he says. 

But there was one big concern. 

“When I arrived for the interview, I was a bit disappointed. It was a dark and empty warehouse, with a small office space and a bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. It didn’t look very promising.” 

He was greeted by Gunnar Jakobsson, a Swede who had been assigned to set up an office in Mexico. 

“The conversation started out quite formally, but it loosened up after a while,” Manuel recalls. “He had only been in Mexico for two months and had lots of questions about the culture, apartment prices, schools for his kids, and other practical things. I think we talked for more than two hours. A few weeks later, I joined the company.” 

One of Manuel’s first assignments was to travel to Mexico City to collect payment from a client who hadn’t paid their bills. 

“I flew there, made the appointment, and waited. There was a lot of waiting, and I think I had to explain my claim to more than ten people. I got really tired, but I didn’t give up. In the end, they gave in and handed me a check.” 

Although he wasn’t hired as a debt collector, Manuel’s role as a salesman, primarily selling cooling pads to the food industry, required persistence. As in many new markets, customers initially struggled to understand Munters technology. But once they saw the results and realized the cost efficiency, they became loyal ambassadors.  

Munters reputation and business grew significantly. 

Soon, the company expanded across Latin America, and Manuel played a key role in that growth. Since he started more than 30 years ago, the Mexican organization has grown to over 250 people.

A major milestone was the opening of a cooling pad plant in Mexico, which now supplies the entire continent.

Today, Manuel focuses on expanding Munters new data center business in the region, still driven by his passion for business

One example of his dedication came in 2018, when his team was invited to pitch for a poultry plant project in North Central Mexico, a massive undertaking involving around 400 buildings. 

“They had invited all the approved suppliers to a ballroom in a big hotel,” Manuel recalls. “Each vendor had 15 minutes to present their solution, and we were the very last ones of the day. 

“I thought, these people must be exhausted from hearing about airflow and kilowatts—things they probably don’t fully understand. So instead of a typical presentation, we talked about what we would do after they bought our equipment.” 

That approach sealed the deal. 

“With new equipment, like in the data center business, after-sales service becomes crucial,” Manuel says. “It’s probably more important than pricing, and sometimes even more important than performance.” 

What’s kept Manuel at Munters for so long is the variety. 

“At my previous job, I did the same thing every day. At Munters, there’s always something new -- different segments, products, and applications to explore. It’s exciting. I also feel genuinely comfortable with my colleagues and managers. There’s trust, fairness, and a sense of confidence in us as employees. When I talk to others in the industry, I realize how lucky I am to work here.”