The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute recently opened its first office outside North America in Hefei, China.

The new office will be run by Stephen Yurek, AHRI president and CEO; AHRI Senior Vice President Henry Hwong; and Bridge Xue, chief representative of AHRI’s Asia-Pacific region.

The grand opening April 13 hosted more than 60 industries representatives, member companies and certification program participants. Government officials from Anhui province and the Non-governmental Organizations Office, China Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry Association senior representatives and the General Machinery Product Inspection Institute representatives also attended. 

"Our globally recognized certification program is growing steadily worldwide, as is demand for AHRI standards,” Yurek said. “This requires AHRI to have a stronger presence in Asia to promote our standards and manage manufacturer participants and oversee lab testing. "At the same time, we are a trade membership organization that attracts members from across the globe, and this office will allow us to better serve those members."