September/October 2022

AMCA Members-Only Newsletter

Oct. 6, 2022

Shelly Bibby and Noman Qamar Nominated, Armin Hauer Renominated for AMCA International Board

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The 2022 AMCA Annual Meeting Oct. 7-9 at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe in Truckee, Calif., will see the conclusion of the terms of three members of the association’s board of directors: Chairman Mats Sándor, technical director, Systemair AB; Frank Cuaderno, vice president of engineering, Mars Air Systems LLC; and Armin Hauer, manager, regulatory and government affairs, ebm-papst. To fill the impending vacancies, the AMCA Nominating Committee is putting forth Shelly Bibby, general manager, Construction Specialties (CS), and Noman Qamar, director, technical and business development, Central Ventilation Systems, and renominating Hauer.

AMCA members in attendance at the Annual Meeting will be asked to vote on the Nominating Committee’s recommendations.

The term for each seat on the AMCA International board is three years.

Shelly Bibby

Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and representing the air-control industry, Shelly Bibby is vice chair of the AMCA Middle East Region Steering Committee, chair of the AMCA Middle East Region Marketing Committee, and a founding member of the AMCA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative. Additionally, she is part of the AMCA Speakers Network, available to give educational presentations to architects, engineers, consultants, and designers. With CS, she has been instrumental in obtaining AMCA certification for a new factory in the Middle East as well as 16 louver models. She has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Cambridge (U.K.) and a bachelor’s degree with highest honors in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (U.S.). She is an American Society for Quality (ASQ) certified quality engineer, an ASQ certified reliability engineer, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2000 lead auditor.

Noman Qamar

Also based in the United Arab Emirates and representing the air-control industry, Noman Qamar is a founding member and the current chair of the AMCA Middle East Region Steering Committee and a former chair of the AMCA Middle East Region Marketing Committee. His contributions to AMCA in the Middle East include representation at nearly all events and meetings in the region since 2012; the presentation of dozens of lunch-and-learn programs on the AMCA Certified Ratings Program and other topics for consultants, contractors, and governmental bodies; and service on the Sand Louver, AMCA 500-D (Laboratory Methods of Testing Dampers for Rating), and AMCA 500-L (Laboratory Methods of Testing Louvers for Rating) committees. He is a member of the board of governors of the ASHRAE Falcon Chapter as well as the standard technical panel for UL 555 (Fire Dampers), UL 555S (Smoke Dampers), and UL 555C (Ceiling Dampers). He has a Global MBA from The University of Manchester (U.K.), a diploma in international business collaboration from Emlyon Business School (France), and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from NED University of Engineering & Technology (Pakistan). He is an Estidama Pearl Rating System Pearl qualified professional for buildings and for villas and a Siemens mechatronics-systems certified assistant. He has completed multiple Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) courses for project-management professionals.

Armin Hauer

Representing the air-movement industry in the Americas, Armin Hauer is a member of the AMCA North America Region Steering Committee and the vice chair of the review committee for AMCA Publication 211, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Air Performance. Additionally, he is the convenor of International Organization for Standardization (ISO)/International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Joint Advisory Group 22 on optimized energy and power consumption of electricity-driven machine units; the chair of the fans working group of the mechanical subcommittee for ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings; the chair of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Electrical Standards Technical Committee; and a 2020-2022 member of the board of the Home Ventilating Institute (HVI). He holds a degree in mechatronics engineering from Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and is an Association of Energy Engineers certified energy manager and certified power-quality engineer.

To see the current members of the AMCA board of directors, click here.

Asia AMCA Holds Two Meetings, Seminar in Return of In-Person Events

After more than two years of travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Asia AMCA held two face-to-face meetings and a seminar in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in September.

On Sept. 13, the Asia Region Steering Committee met to discuss advocacy activities in the region.

On the morning of Sept. 14, Asia AMCA held an insite seminar that drew in excess of 100 people, more than 60 of whom were from consulting and end-user companies. Following an introduction to AMCA, presentations on system effect and louvers were given. The presentation slides were translated into Vietnamese, which was appreciated by local attendees.

In the afternoon of Sept. 14, the 2022 Asia Region Meeting was held. AMCA Executive Director Kevin Faltin and AMCA Director of Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology Paul Fajnor were on hand to discuss the state of the association. Asia AMCA Executive Director Mdm. Goh Swee Lee recounted the 10 years since Asia AMCA was incorporated. Asia Region Steering Committee Chair Jye Teoh, general manager, Kruger Ventilation Industries Asia Co. Ltd., Thailand, presented the strategic plan for the Asia region. Asia AMCA Technical Director Ms. Tan Tin Tin provided an update on the Certified Ratings Program.

“The discussions among the members were great,” Asia AMCA Marketing Manager Mr. Preston Koh reported. “While we try to re-initiate the Asia marketing committee, we had three volunteers from member companies, which is a good start.”

2022 Asia Region Meeting attendees.

Asia AMCA Executive Director Mdm. Goh Swee Lee discusses membership growth in the region during the 2022 Asia Region Meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sept. 14.

AMCA Executive Director Kevin Faltin discusses proposed changes to AMCA’s bylaws during the 2022 Asia Region Meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sept. 14.

AMCA Sound Seminar Returning

Held approximately every two years, AMCA Sound Seminar: Sound Power Testing will be held Nov. 7-9 at AMCA International headquarters in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Taught by Ralph T. Muehleisen, PhD, chief building scientist, Building & Energy Section leader, and Urban Science and Engineering Program lead for Argonne National Laboratory’s Energy Systems and Infrastructure Analysis division, the introductory-to-intermediate-level seminar presents information on acoustics and sound relevant to fan sound specification and testing. It consists of 16 hours of instruction, including a tour of the AMCA laboratory, where attendees will observe the performance of several equipment sound tests. Attendees who attend the seminar in its entirety and complete all elements are eligible for 16 professional-development hours.

Registration is open to AMCA members and non-members, with discounts available to organizations with multiple attendees. To register, click here.

Registration will remain open until Oct. 21 or until the seminar’s 25 seats are filled, whichever comes first.

For more information, see the seminar brochure, or contact AMCA Education Manager Lisa Cherney at [email protected]

Meet the New Guy: Laboratory Technician Richard Doherty

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On Aug. 29, Richard Doherty joined the staff of AMCA International in the role of laboratory technician.

Reporting to Laboratory Manager Christian Peshek, Doherty is the primary testing technician for the Room 4 low-sound chamber. Additionally, he performs AMCA 210 (Laboratory Methods of Testing Fans for Certified Aerodynamic Performance Rating), AMCA 230 (Laboratory Methods of Testing Air Circulating Fans for Rating and Certification), and AMCA 250 (Laboratory Methods of Testing Jet Fans for Performance) testing in the warehouse and is helping to expedite all types of testing and increase overall efficiency.

For 15 years prior to joining AMCA, Doherty worked as a test technician for Navistar, manufacturer of medium-duty, heavy-duty, and severe-service trucks; school and commercial buses; truck and bus aftermarket parts; and diesel engines and engine components. He spent three years testing diesel engines for transient emissions, following federal and California Air Resources Board protocols and procedures; three years preparing prototype diesel-engine and vehicle components for mechanical and electrical testing, instrumenting chassis and vehicle components for road and track use, and equipping vehicle and engine components for environmental testing; and four years testing the performance of diesel engines and components from prototyping to production. His last five years with Navistar were spent as primary durability test technician and as trainer of all new technicians.

A native of St. Paul, Minn., Doherty holds an associate-of-occupational-studies degree in diesel and industrial technology from Universal Technical Institute in Avondale, Ariz. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar, hot rodding, and reading and collecting comic books.

Doherty can be reached at [email protected].

News From the AMCA Laboratory

AMCA Laboratory Manager Christian Peshek reports the tank and wood steps in front of the water-penetration chamber (pictured above) soon will be replaced with a new drum spill-containment platform.

“This non-slip grate surface will keep water from pooling as well as allow the tech to move the louver right up to the chamber,” Peshek explained. “This will help safety and efficiency.”

Barring shipping delays, the replacement is expected to be completed in October.

Additionally, Peshek reported, Laboratory Engineer David Nowak is building a stand-alone leakage chamber.

“This testing has traditionally been done in Room 2/3,” Peshek said. “In order to increase the efficiencies of the Room 2/3 chamber and AMCA lab as a whole, we are moving it to the warehouse. This will allow the Room 2/3 chamber to focus on testing fans. Our estimated completion date is the end of October.”

Shruti Kohli-Bhargava Receives Women in Standards Honor

During Women in Standards’ (WiS’) 2022 Annual Dinner June 16 at Boqueria Dupont in Washington, D.C., AMCA Senior Manager, Publications and Standards Shruti Kohli-Bhargava was recognized as the winner of the organization’s 2021 Annual Challenge.

Through the challenge, which encourages WiS members to engage with each other, help build and grow the WiS community, and support WiS programs through volunteer service, participants compete by taking quizzes, participating in events and activities, joining committees, and sharing skills.

Veronica A. Lancaster, president of the Women in Standards board of directors, (left) presents the organization’s 2021 Annual Challenge award to Shruti Kohli-Bhargava.

September 2022 Edition of ITR Advisor Available

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Rates of inflation are beginning to ease across the economy due in part to normal supply-chain improvement, changes in demand, and Federal Reserve action, economic research and consulting firm ITR Economics reports in the September 2022 issue of ITR Advisor, which is now available as part of ITR Economics’ partnership with AMCA.

Through the AMCA-ITR Economics partnership, AMCA members have access to monthly articles providing ITR Economics’ data-driven, non-affiliated perspective on current events.

ITR Advisor provides a “snapshot of the U.S. economy with a quick overview of key indicators, overall business health, and immediate actions to take in response to unfolding events.”

Established in 1948, ITR Economics employs a unique forecasting methodology that has allowed it to achieve an unmatched accuracy rating of 94.7 percent four quarters into the future. It has been providing expert economic forecasting at AMCA meetings for years.

To sign up to receive free economic updates, stay current with ITR Economics’ outlook, and learn of special opportunities through the AMCA-ITR Economics partnership, click here.