A new HVACR industry association, ARAMENA, was launched on September 11, 2013, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, coinciding with the second day of the Third Regional Symposium on Alternative Refrigerants for Air Conditioning in High-Ambient Temperature Countries. The association is a joint initiative by Air-conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); it will focus on the Middle East and Northern Africa region.

Speaking at the event, Stephen Yurek, the CEO of AHRI, said that the formation of the association was an important step to create a unified entity that would serve as the voice of the HVACR industry. “I would like to thank the manufacturers in this area, and I hope that they continue to make sure that ARAMENA remain as the voice of the industry,” he said, during the launch ceremony.

Ayman Eltalouny, Programme Office of UNEP’s Regional Office for West Asia, said that the initial attempts to form an association was made back in the 1990s and that the first meeting to discuss with local and global equipment manufacturers occured in October of 2012. “In 2012, everyone said that we may not be able to initiate the association in one year,” he said. “Today, we made it happen. Congratulations to the industry.”

Eltalouny explained that the formost drivers in the formation of ARAMENA were the introduction of non-harmonised Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), the confusing issues on refrigerant choice and the lack of a common voice representing the industry.

Taking the podium, Jim Walters, Vice President for International Affairs, AHRI, said that the association would facilitate communication with national governments, as well as with regional and international bodies. ARAMENA, he continued, would promote, facilitate and contribute to research and would represent the industry before the media and other organisations and institutions. “Here, your voice is stronger and sustainable, and it is going to be heard,” Walters said.

For more information on ARAMENA, as well as related news and interviews, watch out for the October issue of Climate Control Middle East.