IIAR

By Adolfo Blasquez

It was a pleasure to serve in this leadership role, especially for the last year. IIAR made great strides to accomplish many important objectives in 2011, and as we look ahead to 2012, we’ll be building on the many successes of the past year.

One of my goals as chairman was to expand the presence of IIAR’s international presence, with the support and hard work of the IIAR international committee.

As part of a strategy focused on bringing IIAR safe and efficient practices to the international community, we’ve visited India and strengthened our ties with the Association of Ammonia Refrigeration, India, beginning the process of providing IIAR seminars in that country. In addition, we continue to work closely with the Chinese Association of Refrigeration and Eurammon.

In 2011, IIAR carried out two well attended, successful workshops; in Bogota, Columbia, and Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Both workshops were two-day events designed to deliver IIAR educational resources while also promoting safety, energy efficiency and a greater awareness of IIAR in the region.

In Bogota, Colombia, twelve 40-minute technical presentations were given by IIAR manufacturer members as well as local contractor members in Latin America.

The Optimization of Hot Gas Defrost, Methods for Estimating Cooling Times for Food, and Humidity in Refrigeration Systems, were just a few of the compelling presentation topics on the technical program.

Feedback from our Latin American seminars was overwhelmingly positive, and as a result, IIAR’s international committee is currently planning similar events for 2012 in Peru, Chile and Costa Rica, followed by Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina in 2013.

The advancement of an international presence was only one part of the progress that IIAR made last year. An update to IIAR’s PSM/RMP guidelines will debut at the IIAR annual conference. A new chapter for the Piping Handbook is now available.

In the 1990’s, IIAR developed a set of guidelines based on the then-new PSM/RMP regulations. Since that time, IIAR members have had the chance to work through the real-life application of the regulations and IIAR guidelines, accumulating a body of knowledge based on experience.

This year, IIAR will release the first set of updates to those guidelines. Built on real-world experience and application, the updated PSM/RMP guidelines represent a consolidated package of materials that will reduce duplication of effort in compliance with both regulations. The complete guidelines come in 2 volumes, accompanied by a Microsoft Word, CD version, which can be used to create a customized PSM/RMP program.

In addition to the updated guidelines, we’re also pleased to announce that a new chapter of the Piping Handbook is available. Both the PSM/RMP update and the new chapter of the Piping Handbook will be available for purchase at the IIAR conference in Milwaukee.

The Piping Handbook has become the must-have document in our industry, and its use as an invaluable technical resource is widespread.

The Handbook’s new chapter focuses on piping diagrams required by regulations for training and general information, including resources for emergency responders. The chapter also includes common symbology for systems as well as instructions for the layout of diagrams.

General updates to various parts of the Piping Handbook have also been made, and are available with the new chapter as inserts that can be merged with the original copy of your Piping Handbook.

Be sure to stop by the IIAR bookstore in Milwaukee to learn more about these important updates.

This year has been an exciting one for our organization. Outreach, education, and, of course, publication of the many important resources we all depend on, has been the focus of my work as your chairman.

None of these objectives could have been met without the focus and determination of you, our volunteer membership. Our work as an industry lies at the core of IIAR’s success. I want to thank everyone who has had a role in advancing IIAR’s mission this year. Without you, the work of our organization would not be possible.