MADRID, Spain - During the 15th annual meeting of the International Council of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Manufacturers Associations (ICARMA), the member organizations established a working group to prioritize the development of global industry standards, pledged to promote intellectual property rights (IPR) awareness and collaboration, and developed a strategy to better promote their environmental stewardship efforts.

“This year’s meeting had an exceptional turnout with everyone participating focused on building a stronger global HVACR industry through better coordination and communications,” said Paco de Leyva, 2007 ICARMA chairman.

The meeting was attended by 18 delegates who represent air conditioning and commercial refrigeration manufacturers from the council’s seven member countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, and the United States.

At the meeting, the council established a group to regularly review the work of global standards bodies, prioritize global standards needs based on ICARMA member input, and to develop recommendations to global standards bodies on standard harmonization needs.

To foster better protection of intellectual property, the council approved a policy in which it agreed to support protection activities at trade exhibitions, advance communication and training efforts to promote IPR awareness among the industry’s supply chain segments, and share protection strategies with local officials. “ICARMA recognizes that through collaborative efforts, the global industry can protect its manufacturers, while maintaining its characteristic strength and integrity,” said Leyva.

In addition to developing standards and IPR protection strategies, the council approved its new tagline, “A Global HVACR Partnership for Energy Efficiency and Environmental Stewardship.” To express the organization's environmental commitment, members briefed attendees on their country’s or region’s environmental activities in areas including responsible refrigerant use, energy efficiency, sustainable technologies, and market-based initiatives such as carbon trading. As part of the council’s responsible refrigerant use strategy, ICARMA also pledged to collect evidence demonstrating the industry’s responsible refrigerant use in each council member’s country.

For more information, visit www.icarma.org.

Publication date:06/25/2007