Plumbing Manufacturers International

10/21/2026

Join the Conversation About Global Manufacturing

The 2026 Plumbing Manufacturers International Annual Report invites all employees of PMI member companies to join the conversation about the future of global plumbing manufacturing.

Titled "It takes a global village to deliver a plumbing product," the report spotlights the people and partnerships behind PMI products.

Read the report, which features nine company case studies, at https://bit.ly/4AT15iE, then get involved through PMI's committees, programs and activities.

10/19/2026

A key message of the 2026 Plumbing Manufacturers International Annual Report is engagement drives manufacturing success. Listen, learn, act—that's how PMI members work together to advance the plumbing manufacturing industry and fuel the successes captured in the report's nine case studies.

The individuals who participate in PMI’s committees, programs and events transform this engagement into accomplishments that save members significant costs relating to manufacturing and regulatory compliance.

Read the report for a rundown of recent accomplishents: https://bit.ly/4AT15iE

10/19/2026

Set Clear Expectations to Achieve AI Readiness

Employees who simply open and start using Claude, ChatGPT or another AI tool don’t make a company AI-ready. Organizations need the right leadership direction, defined processes, clear expectations, and controls to turn AI into reliable business results, suggested Clevette Coombs, AI and sales strategist, as she led a recent Plumbing Manufacturers International Inspiring Leaders Workshop on “AI-Ready Leadership: How Inspiring Leaders Can Use AI Without the Overwhelm.”

Read more in the October Ripple Effect: https://bit.ly/4ymox5H

10/16/2026

Plumbing Manufacturers International Leaders Discuss America’s Skilled Labor Shortage on Podcast

For the Commercial Construction Coffee Talk podcast, host David Corson, publisher of Commercial Construction & Renovation, sat down with PMI CEO/Executive Director Kerry Stackpole and PMI Board of Directors member Troy Benavidez of LIXIL to discuss the skilled labor shortage facing the plumbing, construction, and broader building industry. Listen here: https://bit.ly/4yTNM00

Solving America’s Plumber Shortage: Building the Skilled Trades | CCCT-Video

10/15/2026

Product Compliance: Beyond Certification to Lifecycle
Compliance

Getting a plumbing product to market involves much more than finding the right certification standard. Product compliance requires a commitment to continuously verifying requirements throughout a product’s lifecycle.

Kyle Thompson, Plumbing Manufacturers International technical director, shared that central lesson during a recent webinar covering Part 2 of the PMI Codes and Standards Series, “How to Meet Product Compliance Standards: A High-Level-to-Detail Review.” He discussed how manufacturers can navigate the complex web of federal requirements, codes, standards, testing, certification, and ongoing compliance.

Read more in the October Ripple Effect: https://bit.ly/4exzZUI

10/15/2026

Congrats to the Paul Patton Award Recipient Angela Jimenez!

Angela Jimenez, a product and quality manager at Neoperl Group, has been selected as the recipient of the Paul Patton PMI26 Manufacturing Success Award.

Nominated by J’aime Salvatore, managing director at Neoperl, Jimenez started in technical sales at Neoperl 11 years ago before advancing into roles in product management. In her current position, she supervises a staff of three people responsible for product quality and regulatory compliance.

“Like Paul Patton, Angela shares an inquisitive mindset and attention to detail. She also enjoys sharing her knowledge and helping the next generation. Her product knowledge, solution-oriented mentality, and general demeanor make her a pleasure to work with,” Salvatore stated.

A participant on Plumbing Manufacturers International’s Technical and Advocacy/Government Affairs Committees, Jimenez is looking forward to attending her fourth consecutive PMI Manufacturing Success Conference and first PMI Inspiring Leaders Program.

Read more about the Nov. 2-5 PMI conference: https://bit.ly/4B4EAaC

10/12/2026

U.S.-Canada Trade Dispute Adds New Plumbing Tariffs

A trade dispute between the United States and Canada recently escalated, with Canada responding to the Trump administration’s 50% tariffs on certain Canadian products announced in late August. On Sept. 8, Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs of 25% to 50% on certain U.S. plumbing product exports, as part of tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on about $20 billion of U.S. goods, Reuters reported.

American plumbing product categories affected by 25% duties when exported into Canada include stainless steel sinks and wash basins, and iron/steel sanitary ware, noted Stephanie Salmon, PMI’s federal government affairs consultant. Both of those product categories are also subject to 25% U.S. Section 232 tariffs when imported from Canada, she added. Canada also imposed 50% tariffs on aluminum doors, windows, frames (including shower door frames), thresholds, and structures. Those aluminum products are also subject to 50% U.S. Section 232 tariffs when imported from Canada.

Read more in Plumbing Manufacturers International's October Ripple Effect: https://bit.ly/4i02agh

10/08/2026

Customs Compliance Requires More Risk Mitigation

The federal government’s message to importers has become clear: customs compliance is no longer simply a regulatory matter—it’s increasingly a criminal enforcement priority.

This caution was the key takeaway from a recent Plumbing Manufacturers International webinar featuring trade attorneys Lars-Erik Hjelm, a partner in Akin’s international trade practice, and Gerry Moody, a partner in Akin’s white-collar defense and government investigations practice and leader of the firm’s tariff enforcement defense group.

They outlined how the Trump administration has dramatically expanded customs compliance efforts and what plumbing manufacturers can do to reduce risk.

Read more in the October Ripple Effect: https://bit.ly/4hQAR7Y

10/06/2026

PMI Report Features Global Village of Plumbing Manufacturing

Plumbing Manufacturers International’s 2026 Annual Report explores what it truly takes to bring a plumbing product to life on a global scale: the international partnerships, the technology collaborations, the supply chain ingenuity, and the people who make it all work across time zones and cultures.

The report’s theme, “It Takes a Global Village to Deliver a Plumbing Product,” is a story PMI members live every day.

Representative of PMI’s entire membership, nine PMI members volunteered to participate in interviews that provide a glimpse into their international operations and how they innovate to deliver value to customers and our society each day. In addition, the report provides a summary of what PMI accomplished during the past 12 months by engaging with members. These accomplishments saved members significant costs relating to manufacturing and regulatory compliance.

Read the report: https://bit.ly/4AT15iE

10/06/2026

Counterfeit Plumbing: The Risk at the Tap
By Kerry Stackpole, IOM, FASAE, CAE, Plumbing Manufacturers International CEO/Executive Director

Plumbing manufacturers and product certifiers work to maintain an unbroken chain of trust—from standards, to testing, to certification, to installation, and finally to safe water at the tap. A counterfeit product disrupts this trust. Rather than the bargain it is sometimes perceived to be, a counterfeit product is an unverified risk connected directly to the public's water supply, and that’s a risk no one should take.

Read more in the October Ripple Effect: https://bit.ly/4yLDwXX