The Vision of Bill Goodman: The Goodman Index & ASHRAE Globalization

This ASHRAE year (2024-2025) is the 25^th anniversary of the ASHRAE Presidency of Bill Goodman.  This article speaks to his vision of a globalized ASHRAE in the 21^st Century.  Goodman’s Presidential message to start his leadership year of 1999-2000 was entitled ASHRAE in the New Millennium’s Global Community.  Goodman started his Presidential message by introducing what we now call the Goodman Index (of ASHRAE Globalization). 

Goodman begins with a line of Socratic questioning of the assumption that ASHRAE is a global organization, in the process, creating a parameter of ASHRAE globalization: “However, when you look at the demographics of our membership and who attends the Society’s meetings – 80% are from the United States, 10% from Canada and 10% from the rest of the world – we have to ask ourselves:

Ø  Is ASHRAE really a worldwide organization?

Ø  Are we really participating in the world market?

Ø  Are we really taking optimal advantage of the global community we live in to advance HVAC&R technology for the benefit of the public and our members around the world?”

Goodman then presents the focus of his Presidential year: “My theme for this year – ASHRAE in the New Millenium’s Global Community – is designed to start us thinking and talking about these questions.”

Goodman then dissents from knowing all the answers to these questions or all the solutions to the advanced globalization of ASHRAE, but does attest that: “What I do know is that as a Society we have a strategic plan in place with attainable goals…I also know that we have many if not all the pieces in place to be a vigorous global player, for example:

Ø  ASHRAE’s website (www.ashrae.org)

Ø  Electronic publishing capabilities

Ø  The ASHRAE Learning Institute

Ø  The ASHRAE Foundation

Ø  ASHRAE’s Research Program

Ø  Our involvement in developing international standards and sponsoring international conferences.”

In summation, Goodman proposes a general strategy for ASHRAE’s strategic globalization process: “What I would suggest is that we learn to not only THINK globally… but to ACT globally.”

Bill Goodman’s vision, by the numbers, has impacted ASHRAE globalization.  The Goodman Index, as constituted in 2023, is as follows:

USA – 68.8%

Canada – 8.8%

Rest of World – 22.4%

In the 24 years since Mr. Goodman’s Presidency, the Rest of the World membership has more than doubled as a ratio – an impressive growth, but is ASHRAE optimizing its globalization?

AC Markets and ASHRAE’s English Predominance

In an astute analysis, Goodman also pointed out our ASHRAE deficits which hinder ASHRAE globalization (which could still be suboptimizing ASHRAE globalization):

“What we do NOT have is extensive global involvement by engineers working and living outside North America nor are our efforts to advance and transfer HVAC&R technology really focused on the global market.  Consider this:

Ø  Our technical information is primarily focused on the needs of the U.S. market.

Ø  Only 7 of the 115 active research projects have been awarded outside North America.

Ø  Very few if any of our publications are available in other languages [other than English]

Ø  Little or no membership promotion efforts target potential members outside our regional structure.

Point number 3 regarding publications available in languages other than English is very telling.  In looking at the list of top ten countries by ASHRAE membership (2023), one is struck by the predominance of the English language in the top 8 countries where English is either the de facto language, official language, commonly used language, or the technological language of the country.

Top 10 Countries or Semi-autonomous Entities by ASHRAE membership (2023):

1)      United States

2)      Canada

3)      India

4)      Hong Kong

5)      UK

6)      Philippines

7)      Australia

8)      United Arab Emirates

9)      Mexico

10) Brazil

From these figures, it can be asserted that ASHRAE has been most successful in globalization where its engineering culture has been propagated by the language of the engineers.  Goodman was pointing out this reality in point number 3.

The Languages of ASHRAE’s Globalization

Goodman, then presents the market potential of potential ASHRAE members as part of a global air-conditioning market: “Let us look at the air-conditioning market as an illustration of the global market potential….”

Goodman:  “According to a recent survey by the Building Services Research and Information Association in the U.K., the world wide air-conditioning market presently totals $33 billion.”  Today (2023 figures) that figure has more than quadrupled to 139.99 billion (SKYQUEST, “Global Air Conditioners Market,”- February 2024).

And, as far as individual national potential, Goodman related: “The United States [1999] is sandwiched in between Japan as the world’s largest market and the People’s Republic of China as the world’s third largest market.  Goodman then presciently states: “China has seen an astonishing growth since 1990 that is projected to continue.”  Goodman’s insight into China’s grow has proven out through the years.  Here are statistics of China’s recent growth (2015-2023), according to the International Energy Agency (IEA): China stock of air-conditioning units grew from 531 million units in 2015 to 862 million units in 2023, a growth of 62.3%.

A very informative piece was the 2016 “The Future of Cooling” booklet published by the IEA which had a breakdown of air-conditioning units per country.  Below are the top seven countries by AC-unit count:

Total AC units (millions per country)

1)      China (569)

2)      USA (374)

3)      Japan (148)

4)      South Korea (59)

5)      India (27)

6)      Brazil (27)

7)      Mexico (16)

“The Future of Cooling” booklet also had a general prediction for the Global AC market as far as the largest national markets and the fastest growing national markets for 2024-2031:

Largest - China and India

Fastest Growing – Mexico and Brazil. 

Goodman, in his summation of the best path for ASHRAE globalization stated: “What do I suggest?  I suggest that we:

Ø  Broaden the Society’s operations on an international level, not only administratively but also technically.  Perhaps we should consider a ‘World ASHRAE’ that is made up of an ASHRAE in the United States and Canada, a European ASHRAE, a Spanish-speaking ASHRAE, a Middle Eastern ASHRAE, an Asian and Australian ASHRAE, and an African ASHRAE.”

Ø  Each of these ASHRAEs would have their own structures, their own languages, and their own support.  But they would have the same mission and would be engaged in the same activities as ASHRAE is today.

Ø  Organize Society technical committee meetings in other countries, and maybe once every three years organize a Society meeting, with a strong technical program, outside North America.”

Ø  Sponsor foreign language translations of our publications and markets….”

Goodman’s main points are 2:  1) “Each of these ASHRAE’s would have their…own language”, and 2) “Sponsor foreign language translations of our publications and markets….”  Goodman grasped that language is the tip of the spear for ASHRAE globalization, but did ASHRAE grasp this point? – Yes….

The fastest growing markets in the future (projected) will be Mexico (Spanish), Brazil (Portugues), and Indonesia (Malay, but English is taught from elementary to university, and is very prominent in technology and the large urban areas).  The largest markets in the world will be China (Chinese) and India (English is the language of technology).  It appears that the (3) focus languages of future ASHRAE global expansion will be Spanish, Portugues, and Chinese.

And indeed, ASHRAE has translations available (from the original English) in Spanish, Portugues, and Chinese.  Not only these three focus languages, but ASHRAE also has translations in (8) other important languages:  Arabic, Croatian, French, Greek, Korean, Romanian, Serbian, and Turkish.  In this context, the push for ASHRAE globalization is alive and well (25) years after the visionary Presidential leadership of Bill Goodman.