The spring 2020 issue of Today’s Boiler comes out while the world grapples with a global pandemic and the recovery that will follow. I have been in close contact with ABMA members throughout the last few months. Our companies are addressing today’s realities and continue to be ready to solve end-user challenges throughout all sectors. 

ABMA is also ready, when appropriate, to get back to advancing the boiler industry; we’re eager to implement our new strategic plan adopted by our board of directors in October 2019 and announced to the membership in January at ABMA’s 2020 Annual Meeting.

This three-year plan (2020-22) focuses on the following areas.

• Ensure membership scope aligns with continued industry evolution; 

• Enhance technical program and engage members’ technical teams;

• Provide actionable industry insights and market data;

• Orchestrate targeted market outreach to stimulate workforce availability and promote boiler industry careers; and

• Execute an end-user engagement strategy to surface insights and increase member visibility.

Two major initiatives we’ve implemented to accomplish these goals include the creation of a Hydronics Product Group and launch of BOILER 2021 – ABMA Boiler Technology Conference & Expo.

The Hydronics Product Group expands ABMA’s reach and addresses the ever-evolving needs of the boiler industry. Its scope includes active and associate manufacturers of hydronics equipment and components that contribute to low-pressure steam and hot water heating as stated in Section IV of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) code and will focus on the following areas.

• A forum to discuss trends and address issues impacting the hydronics sector;

• Serve as a watchdog for hydronic, boiler-centric codes and standards bodies, including ASME and various air quality districts, to bring awareness, information, and influence for the hydronics companies;

• Provide a voice for the hydronics sector to act on issues to protect and positively impact companies;

• Operate as a respected “voice of authority” in the hydronics sector, where deliberation and recommendations on common product application issues can be heard, addressed, and communicated;

• Serve as a place for thought leadership for the hydronics sector;

• Establish an entity to identify and create needed education for all industry participants; and

• Offer the ability to contribute to and participate in boiler-centric trade shows, such as BOILER2021, that feature hydronics.

The ABMA Hydronics Product Group is intended to complement the programs and activities these companies already receive from other organizations.

BOILER 2021 is part of a strategic shift by ABMA to focus on the end-users of our products from the commercial and institutional to industrial and utility sectors. BOILER 2021 will take place on Oct. 12-14, 2021, at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas. This event will bring together the boiler supply chain and feature a two-day trade show, educational sessions, member and end-user tours, a new awards program, and 

much more. 

For more details on BOILER 2021, please read our Q&A about the event on page 10 in this issue of Today’s Boiler.

I look forward to sharing progress on these and other new initiatives in future issues of Today’s Boiler.

Finally, I would like to welcome Dave Reinink from Johnston Boiler and Tom Garbarino from BFS to the ABMA board of directors and Mark Colman from Rentech Boiler Systems to the role of treasurer. The board vacancies were due to the retirements of long-time treasurer Tom Giaier from Detroit Stoker Co. and Don Whitman from Babcock & Wilcox.  

We will get back to a sense of normalcy sometime in 2020. The recovery will not happen overnight, but we will recover and maybe even learn a few things from these challenging times. 

To stay up to date on ABMA, subscribe to our Boiler Weekly E-Newsletter by visiting www.ABMA.inloop.com and monitor our social media channels by searching #ABMABoiler on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, along with ABMA’s YouTube page.