ICC-ES and ITC-CNR sign MOU
The ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) and the Construction Technologies Institute of the Italian National Research Council (ITC-CNR) signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding on Jan. 15, 2019, at the University of Miami’s Robert and Judi Prokop Newman Alumni Center in Coral Gables, Fla. This agreement will help streamline evaluation processes for manufacturers in the U.S. and Italy, save time and money, reduce barriers to trade, and improve market access for safe and compliant building materials.
ICC-ES and ITC-CNR have collaborated in the past as peer companies providing product evaluation reports for construction products to relevant codes and standards, sharing information about their conformity assessment work in America and Europe, respectively. The new agreement formalizes this collaboration and enables the companies to create harmonized pre-standards that will help industry clients to show proof of compliance to such standards in America and Europe — an achievement that aligns with the efforts of the U.S. government to reduce or eliminate technical barriers to trade.
“The International Code Council is honored to be a part of this important agreement,” said Code Council Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims, CBO. “Our family of companies are global leaders in the building safety industry, and our mission transcends borders. We look forward to continuing to deepen our relationship with our Italian partners as we work to increase building safety around the world.”
“Through this effort, manufacturers exporting building products to the U.S. and Italy can use the Memorandum of Understanding as a tool to conduct a ‘one-stop-shop’ product evaluation,” said ICC-ES President Shahin Moinian, P.E. “This agreement will reduce efforts and costs for manufacturers, and it builds confidence that the evaluated products meet the requirements of both countries.”
Attendance at the Miami signing event included officials from the Code Council, ICC-ES and ITC-CNR as well as representatives from the Italian government and the University of Miami, including University of Miami President Julio Frenk; the College of Engineering Dean Jean-Pierre Bardet; the College of Engineering’s Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering professor and Chair Dr. Antonio Nanni; and the Honorable Cristiano Musillo, Consul General from the Italian Consulate in Miami.
The University of Miami College of Engineering’s Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, which tests some ICC-ES products for building code compliance, hosted the signing event. Afterwards, there was a guided tour of the University of Miami Structures and Materials Lab.
Click here to view photos from the event.
About the Author
Alexandra Diaz is the marketing manager for ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES). She joined ICC-ES in late September of 2018, and is leading the marketing and demand creation strategy for that division. Prior to joining the Code Council, Diaz served as group marketing manager for Jacuzzi Group Worldwide’s spa division, leading the product development efforts for two hero hot tub brands. Diaz started her career in supply chain, and then transitioned into a marketing career that expands over 12 years of experience covering many aspects of marketing, including product and channel development.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in international business from Universidad Iberoamericana, a private Jesuit University in Mexico. Diaz is fluent in English, Spanish and French and works out of the Code Council’s western regional office. She lives with her husband, kids, two geckos and a very cute German shepherd in sunny Brea, Calif.
