Insulation Outlook

July E-News Bulletin #1: Don’t Miss These Upcoming NIA Deadlines In This Issue: For Members Only: Premier Industry Manufacturer™ Award NIA: A Year in Review For Your Records: Change of NIA Address Register Early for NIA’s Fall Summit 2026 Fall Trainings & Certification Opportunities Available And more! Read the issue.

June E-News Bulletin #2: Free Training and Industry Updates Inside! In This Issue: Grow NIA Together: New Members Join and Save 50% Register Early for NIA’s Fall Summit 2026 For Your Records: Change of NIA Address NIA on the Road: Summer Regional Meetings Limited-Time Free Course: Mitigating Corrosion Under Insulation ​(CUI) And more! Read the issue.

June E-News Bulletin #1: Advance Your Workforce with NIA Training & Events In This Issue: Understanding Mechanical Insulation On-Demand Course For Your Records: Change of NIA Address NIA’s Summer Meetings for Members OSHA Minute with Marlis: Mental Health And more! Read the issue.

Data center construction is booming, and for the mechanical insulation industry, these projects represent both a significant opportunity and a new set of challenges. At NIA’s 70th Annual Convention in March, we convened a panel of industry experts moderated by NIA Secretary/Treasurer Louis Walton, Proto Corp. Representing contracting, distribution, and manufacturing, the panelists explored what it really takes to navigate a data center project from the insulation perspective.

On a recent project, my team was given access to a fully developed 3D building information modeling (BIM) model from the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor. At first glance, it looked complete; but when it came time to determine the insulation scope of work, we were still flipping through hundreds of drawings, manually building quantities, and relying on experience to fill in the gaps. Sound familiar?

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Most of us have tried out different artificial intelligence (AI) chat tools, typing in prompts and watching paragraphs appear on the page. You probably thought, “Wow. That’s actually not bad.” You may have even thought, “I wonder if it could write my specs for me.” What could go wrong? Traditional bad specs are usually bad in obvious ways, such as a section reference or thickness table that never got updated, or maybe a product name is used where a generic description should appear.

NIA / News & Publications / News / May E-News Bulletin #2: Leadership Training & Working Group Opportunities Now Available to Premier Training Subscribers: Leadership 102 Tack Get Involved: NIA’s Mechanical Insulation Installation Standards Working Groups Product Focus: Mechanical Insulation Installation Video Series (Online) Safety Update: Planning Ahead for the Heat And more! Read the issue.

May E-News Bulletin #1: Construction Safety Week & Fall Summit Now Open! In This Issue: All In Together: Construction Safety Week 2026 For Members Only: Join Your National Network at Fall Summit 2026 NIA Member Benefits Spotlight: Committee Participation Submit Your Articles Upcoming Insulation Outlook Magazines And more! Read the issue.

Thermal insulations are known as a cost-effective means of heat conservation in process equipment, pipelines, and piping circuits. Thermally insulated systems subjected to poor maintenance, as well as a lack of health checks, become receptive to moisture through direct infiltration and/or buildup via condensation, which trigger the risk of corrosion under insulation (CUI) and stress corrosion cracking (SCC).