TIAC partners with Midwest Insulation Contractors Association to Launch the 9th Edition of MICA’s Insulation Manual as a North American Best Practices Guide
By / Jessica Kirby
When it was formed in Toronto in 2016, the TIAC Innovators Group decided that refreshing the Best Practices Guide (BPG) would be one if its key objectives. As the ball started rolling and members of the group started working at a suitable upgrade, it became obvious that there was no need to reinvent the wheel.
“We were always focused on updating the existing BPG, as we found it to have a lot of relevant and valuable information,” says Luis Garcia, Chair of the Innovators Group at TIAC. “As we dove deeper into the guide, we found two things: first, although the BPG had meaningful content, there were quite a few gaps in terms of updates to some practices. Second, we found that there were numerous similarities between the BPG and the MICA manual.”
As the Innovators were reviewing the BPG, its members were using the Midwest Insulation Contractors Association (MICA) manual for reference, which had always been part of the plan.
“What we did not anticipate was how similar the two manuals were in terms of content and even some of the graphics,” Garcia says. “The only difference was that one was more up to date than the other. It was obvious to us that we had to think of a partnership with our neighbours to the south, and thus started the conversation about creating a US/Canada manual.”
MICA is based in Omaha and serves commercial and industrial insulation contractors, abatement contractors, associate manufacturer/distributor and material supply firms, and affiliate firms that interact with the insulation industry. It’s manual, the National Commercial and Industrial Insulation Standards (NCIIS), and commonly known as the MICA Manual, has been the standard to which contractors in both countries strive, and thus was just the publication to suit the Innovators’ project.
Of course, it wouldn’t be quick or easy, but the Innovators worked hard to bring that level of recognition and standardization to the Canadian industry.
“As with any project, challenges were to be expected,” Garcia says. “We, as a team and along with the support of the TIAC board, had a vision in mind, and sticking to that vision meant multiple meetings on a weekly basis, arranging schedules with the different parties involved (TIAC, MICA, and other participants), and dealing with setbacks due to COVID-19.”
But the group persevered.
In 2021, MICA announced the release of the 9th edition of the NCIIS manual and their partnership with TIAC for its use and distribution in Canada. The latest edition, renamed North American Commercial & Industrial Insulation Standards (NACIIS), includes updates and additions developed upon request from the industry to show additional details of certain applications, and updated information for material specifications and standards.
Most of the content is applicable and relevant to both Canadian and American markets, but there is still work to be done.
“Having said that, we are working on developing a cross-reference document for Canadian users of NACIIS for those instances where practices differ,” Garcia says. “We will be reaching out to members of TIAC to rely on their expertise and experience to help the Innovators group to ‛Canadianize’ the manual.”
The launch of NACIIS in Canada is phase I of the Innovators’ plans. Phase II will be the cross-referencing of the content, and phase III will be to fully integrate Canadian content, as identified by TIAC members, into future editions of NACIIS.
As agreed with MICA, TIAC will have a representative attending all technical/update meetings relating to this new manual.
The NACIIS manual features the TIAC logo on the front cover, as well as National Insulation Association (NIA) logo, showing both organizations’ national recognition and endorsement, and providing recognition to TIAC’s members for their support of the manual.
NIA and TIAC will promote the NACIIS to increase awareness and education among its members and affiliates, and to non-members, engineers, owners, and specifiers.
“Our industry in Canada now has a fully functional and up-to-date standard that they can refer to when they work on complex projects, or if they simply need a refresher on practices around insulation,” Garcia says. “Secondly, our industry in Canada now has access to combined expertise between TIAC, MICA, and NIA—this combined initiative elevates the North American industry as a whole and keeps us all up to date on industry standards.”
The NACIIS manual is published as a service to contractors, engineers, designers, owners, and the mechanical insulation industry in general. It was conceived by MICA, and the 1st Edition was introduced in 1979. Since then, this resource has grown to be recognized as the authoritative source for specifying and communicating installation details for mechanical insulation systems across the United States and internationally. NIA has been a long-time partner and promoter of this manual and teaches its use as part of some the NIA training courses.
“All TIAC members, as well as all engineering firms and specifiers that support our industry should have this manual,” Garcia ways. “We see it as a way of generating awareness about our industry, current practices, and our association.”
NACIIS will be available to TIAC members in English soon, and it will be released in French at a later date. To learn more about distribution, contact the TIAC office or watch the TIAC eZine for details. ▪
