London -- The British Rigid Urethane Manufacturers Association (BRUFMA) has changed its name to the Insulation Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) and will become more outward looking, said its chief executive, Simon Storer.
Brufma becomes IMA in association name change
Storer: The name's important
IMA said the new name reflects the position that PIR and PUR insulation manufacturers hold in providing the largest share of insulation products used in the UK market.
'With a growing need for ever greater energy performance and thermal efficiency across all buildings, this share of the market is expected to keep on growing, and therefore the trade association has a responsibility to ensure it is the principal point of contact for all audiences relevant to this sector with a name that reflects this responsibility,’ it added.
Speaking about the name change, Storer said, ‘BRUFMA as a name has served the industry extremely well over the years, especially on technical and industry matters and this of course, will not change.
‘However, the membership agreed that the Association now needed to build on this well-established foundation, move away from predominantly inward-facing activity and extend its reach and influence to a wider and more diverse external target audience, which is not necessarily steeped in technical or industry language.’
Referring to the recent Grenfell Tower fire, he continued, ‘Events of this year certainly brought this need into sharp focus, as many commentators and other interested parties were unable to immediately identify which trade association spoke for which part of the industry. We also wanted to be sure that as an Association we are solely responsible for and have ownership of the messages coming from this sector.
‘With a name that enables everyone to understand exactly who we are and what we do, it gives the recognition that we speak for the largest part of the insulation market.
‘We are setting out to develop and expand our policy, communications and public affairs activity, to support the technical and scientific work that has been completed very successfully for some considerable time and provide a valuable and influential conduit of information between the industry and its key stakeholders.’
