1. What regulations or standards are you helping members prepare for or watching in the coming year?
The latest regulatory issue the industry has needed to focus on is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reporting requirements for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was recently extended a second time, so as the current administration pushes off—or pulls back—some of the federal requirements, we need to be mindful of individual states as they try to fill the void. A patchwork of regulations based on different definitions, levels and reporting requirements in different states would be virtually impossible to manage.
The Hydraulic Institute (HI) has started to help educate stakeholders that the long-chain fluoropolymers used in pumps are typically the safe PFAS alternatives that we often rely on to keep more harmful PFAS out of the environment. In critical applications like power generation, water, wastewater and industrial applications, these materials do not come into contact with consumers but are critical components of complex systems. HI will continue to advocate for these critical use cases and monitor new regulatory proposals closely so we can provide members with timely updates on any changes—at the state or federal level.
Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements is another area we watch very closely. The 2021 rule enacted as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act remains in full effect for projects that use federal funds. While the initial “transitional” waivers have all expired, the EPA continues to conduct research to determine if product waivers are required due to nonavailability for specific pump types. HI supports this by working with the EPA and Cadmus on standard definitions, ensuring manufacturers are sharing manufacturing and product information and ultimately keeping the industry tuned into any changes.
2. How do you think tariffs have affected the industry in the past year?
Tariffs have had a definite impact. Pump manufacturers in North America are domestic manufacturers with extensive, global supply chains. Critical pump components are often imported, as domestic sources for some, particularly those with high iron and steel content, can be limited, so the higher component costs will directly impact pricing.
The long-term impact on the supply chain for those critical components is harder to measure. The unpredictable nature of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs (and the challenges in the federal courts), means that many in the industry will wait, or are still waiting, before making any sweeping, supply chain adjustments. It is very expensive and time consuming to design and build a new fabrication plant in a new country. In addition, changing suppliers also means qualifying and testing the new materials and the new components, which often leads to entirely new products designed around these new components. Complex, highly engineered products like pumps are not as simple as many consumer products like toys, for example.
I know the industry would welcome a clear, long-term trade policy that would help manufacturers acquire essential components without additional cost burdens. The iron and steel tariffs are firmly in place, but we’ll be watching the Supreme Court IEEPA ruling and the negotiations leading up to the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) treaty renewal, which is scheduled for this summer.
3. What key trends have emerged over the past year, and how are they shaping the market?
HI produces whitepapers on emerging topics and trends and we have several new whitepapers and working groups. As computing capabilities continue to power advances in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), HI’s Intake Design Whitepaper: CFD/Physical Model discusses the differences and limitations between physical and computer based models that a working group has been analyzing for several years. HI’s working group on Natural Disaster: Hurricane Resiliency is working to address pumping station resiliency and help stations prepare for—and mitigate—risk to ensure that the collection and distribution of clean water can continue following a hurricane, flood or loss of power due to a natural disaster.
New HI Guidelines reflect industry trends as well. HI is developing a Guideline for Hydraulic Performance Field Testing (14.7) which will provide uniform procedures for obtaining hydraulic performance data when testing rotodynamic pumps installed in end-user systems in the field. HI 14.5.1 Rotodynamic Pumps Foundation Design will be an important new reference used to design foundations that can properly support the static and dynamic loads imposed by the equipment and assure proper functioning of pump station equipment.
4. What training or educational initiatives are being implemented to prepare the next generation of professionals?
We’re extremely excited about the launch of PSC—Pump System Certification. PSC is a personnel certification program designed to validate an individual’s applied knowledge of pumping systems. For years, organizations have struggled with onboarding new staff who need to understand how pumps work, how systems behave and how to diagnose issues. This year is completing a suit of progressive certifications from basic to advanced. These include PSC Level 1 (Introductory & Basic), PSC Level 2 (Intermediate) and Pump System Assessment Professional (PSAP) (Advanced).
Launched in 2025, PSC Level 1 fills that gap by ensuring that individuals have a fundamental knowledge of pump types, and their construction, performance and operating principles. It validates they have the ability to do basic pump system calculations and analyze the pump and system curves to make informed pump hydraulic selections. Many organizations are now using PSC Level 1 as a job requirement for new hires and incorporating the coursework and exam into their first-year development plans.
PSC Level 2 is more advanced and applies to individuals with a strong understanding of pump industry best practices, calculations and tools that are used to solve common pump and system operating issues. At this level, practitioners have real-world experience, they can diagnose equipment, identify acceptable pump performance, solve installation and operational issues, and identify energy optimization opportunities. PSC Level 2 is currently in design review with 50 individuals working through the certification exam now and will be launched to the public by Q2-2026. Once launched, the suit of pump system certifications from basic to advanced will be in place for the industry, which is exciting for 2026.
On the training side, HI has been investing in workforce development tools for years. Now, we offer a full curriculum that starts with foundational concepts for people who are brand new to pumps, all the way through advanced system diagnostics and optimization. What’s especially exciting is that many of these courses support—and map directly to—the increasing knowledge level Pump System Certifications. By the end of 2026, PSC will include three levels spanning the full progression from entry-level (PSC Level 1) through the intermediate (PSC Level 2) to the most advanced level of PSAP.
5. What upcoming technologies or innovations do you foresee having the most significant impact on the industry in the next five years?
Changes in motor technologies, new materials and new designs will continue to evolve and provide important benefits. AI, however, has the potential to bring transformative change. When you connect pumps to rich data streams, you open up a new level of insight into how the pump, and the overall system, operates. AI can accelerate the shift from preventative to predictive maintenance by helping users interpret signals, identify root causes and recommend corrective actions in real time. However, it is critical that these recommendations come from a trusted source—the manufacturer or a standards setting organization.
HI took its first step and launched its first AI co-pilot, providing HI members with access to the HI Data Tool and our extensive FAQ knowledge base. As HI’s co-pilot evolves, I would expect to see the connections expand to other resources such as HI’s standards, guidelines and whitepapers, along with applications that support different training and certification needs for engineers, end-users and operators.
6. Do you think AI adoption is changing the industry? If yes, how so?
Pumps will always live in the physical space, but AI has an enormous potential to change the way people interact with pumps and the way pumps interact with the systems they support. Manufacturers are focused on their equipment—embedding AI capabilities into their equipment— and HI is developing tools designed to help the people side of the equation. HI is currently developing its co-pilot to help system designers and end-users access the right information at the right time, applying HI’s industry standards and guidelines. This way when the red light comes on, a product centered co-pilot can help the operator better understand what to look for and the HI co-pilot can provide the check list that can guide a technician through a root cause analysis. Once the root cause is identified, AI can again help to identify the worn out part number and contact the manufacturer. As AI tools mature, we can expect to see deeper integration with product data, part numbers and maintenance histories, helping technicians solve problems faster and more accurately. The product and performance data, along with the real-time assistance to run down the checklist, is a powerful tool for operators. Of course this is just one of many potential scenarios, but others are already being developed for different equipment and use cases.
7. What’s on your mind/what are you most concerned about?
I worry about the downstream impact of AI providing the wrong answer. This is one thing HI and other standards developing organizations (SDOs) are particularly focused on since we maintain the technical standards and references for entire industries or technologies. We need to ensure that our standards are kept current since they are often incorporated by reference in various codes and regulations. The version of a standard matters for this reason: they are continuously updated for safety, new materials and more advanced technologies. Most SDOs track and provide red-line versions so subscribers can follow the changes and evolution of a document. The danger of an AI tool combining or blurring over these versions or simply picking the wrong one can be disastrous. This is why HI is testing our co-pilot to minimize hallucinations and creative license and to always provide a specific source reference document. Just as a pilot still needs to land the plane, the engineer will still need to check the references and ultimately take over before “landing” the project.
8. What are you most looking forward to in 2026?
HI will formally launch the Pump System Certified (PSC) Level 2 in the spring. This is the intermediate level of our Pump System Certification program which will connect the introductory and basic level of PSC Level 1, which is appropriate for on-boarding new hires with little to no experience in the industry and the PSAP that has at least five years’ experience assessing pumping systems for optimization and efficiency.
We are doing a study on “smart pumps” which will help different market actors to better understand the value they bring to the marketplace. As we increasingly move to a more connected world, “smart pumps” will play an increasingly important role in commercial and industrial settings due to their enhanced intelligence but also some of their physical traits like easier installation, smaller footprint and improved overall design.
We will continue to explore additional co-pilots around selected data sets throughout the year. The first one, based on a limited data set, is already being evaluated by HI members.
9. What else should our readers know about the year ahead?
I think we all need to keep a close eye on Washington. I will be closely watching three issues in particular: the Supreme Court ruling on the IEEPA tariffs (and any subsequent actions), the renewal negotiations on USMCA and the new EPA recommendations for a general applicability product waiver for pumps. These are all issues that should emerge in the first half of 2026. Individually, each will be significant, but taken together, all three could have major implications for the pump industry in 2026 and for many years to come.
