CIPH president and general manager Ralph Suppa, and PMI executive director Barbara Higgens Hold the Memorandum of Understanding.

Barbara Higgens, executive director of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute of Rolling Meadows, Ill., and Ralph Suppa, president and general manager of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Apr. 21 signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will establish a framework for cooperation between the two not-for-profit trade groups, thus formalizing an already productive 10-year relationship.
    CIPH includes manufacturers, wholesaler distributors, master distributors, manufacturers’ agents and allied companies that manufacture and distribute plumbing, hydronic heating, industrial, waterworks and other mechanical products. PMI is a voluntary, not-for-profit national trade association of plumbing product manufacturers.
    “The MOU expresses our mutual commitment to create an organized and systematic approach for voluntarily exchanging information and materials on common educational, technical, scientific, legislative and regulatory matters that affect the plumbing industry worldwide,” Higgens said. “We will do this through publications, reports, association conferences and industry meetings.”
    Higgens said PMI and CIPH would continue to exchange invitations to their respective annual conferences, and bring together in-kind and additional resources as required to facilitate communications between the two associations. The two associations expect to develop a work plan to identify specific events and activities to achieve the purposes of this MOU.
    PMI has forged similar agreements with two other associations outside the United States: the Plumbing Products Industry Group Melbourne, Australia-based trade organization of plumbing manufacturers and importers from Australia and New Zealand, and with the Bathroom Manufacturers Association of the United Kingdom. PMI also participates in The European Committee of the Valve Industry, or CEIR, a federation of national manufacturer associations, representing virtually the entire valve and fitting production in Europe.