International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration chair Joseph “Joe” Mandato Jr., right, chats with attendees of the IIAR’s most recent conference and expo in Milwaukee. He is pictured at the exhibit booth of Evapco, where he serves as senior vice president.

MILWAUKEE — At the recent Industrial Refrigeration Conference & Exhibition, outgoing International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR) chairman Adolfo Blasquez noted the global focus of the institute. His message resonated with the incoming chair, Joseph “Joe” Mandato Jr.

Blasquez, who is the president of Blasquez Refrigeration, cited the presence at the conference of “professionals from around the world.” And Mandato said his upcoming year in the organization’s highest elected office will be a time of “confirming the international brand of IIAR.”

For Mandato, that includes expertise from developed countries assisting in the proper use of ammonia in developing countries. For example, he said, “IIAR is now at the point to start taking action in India. The cold chain in India is expanding, but the refrigeration industry there needs standards and training to design, install, and operate safe, efficient refrigeration systems. The industry in India is getting pressure at the local level to step up the training.

“IIAR has the standards and training tools; industry leaders in India have the desire.”

In fact, at the Milwaukee conference, there were representatives from the recently formed Association of Ammonia Refrigeration of India.

But India is just one part of the global focus for IIAR. There were attendees from dozens of countries, including representatives from the Chinese Association of Refrigeration, the Colombia Association of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, the Institute of Refrigeration of the United Kingdom, the Global Cold Chain Alliance, and Europe’s Eurammon.

Global Perspective

The global vision for IIAR is a good fit for Mandato’s expertise since he is currently Evapco’s senior vice president for global industrial refrigeration products sales and marketing.

This position keeps him well abreast of ongoing changes worldwide in industrial refrigeration, which he said include “simplified systems that lessen refrigerant charges and open up new applications.” One of those applications, he noted, is in supermarket refrigeration “where new engineering designs are allowing for the use of natural refrigerants such as ammonia to be used safely in retail food outlets.”

When it comes to the growth potential for the safe use of ammonia, Mandato said, “This is a blank sheet of paper.”

Mandato has more than 30 years of experience in the industry. He earned a degree in civil engineering from Drexel University of Philadelphia and worked at Baltimore Air Coil, Emerson-Swan, and Flex-Con Industries before joining Evapco in 1991.

Within IIAR, he served on several committees before joining the board of directors in 2006, moving to the executive committee in 2009, and taking on the chairmanship in 2012.

Mandato said he is committed to IIAR because he sees “so many good things in the organization.”

He continued, “This is a dynamic group. We need to get the message out so people realize this organization is the leading advocate for the safe, reliable, and efficient use of natural refrigerants in industrial applications.”

Publication date: 6/11/2012