NEW YORK — The 2014 AHR Expo is in the record books and it is time to look back and reflect on what was there. Besides a mass of manufacturer products from gloves and uniforms to boilers and rooftop units, there was an intangible element seemingly prevalent — teamwork.

I'm not talking about competitive manufacturers sitting down at the table to discuss how to make the best of the best in HVACR products. I am talking about non-competitive products being designed to work together. This isn't a new idea, but the synergy I witnessed at the AHR Expo pushed me to think that the overall industry is beginning to catch on that HVAC is a system of integrated parts, not a hodge podge of add-on components.

I also witnessed several manufacturers taking into consideration the amount of skus that go on a distributor's shelf. Some are designing products to be more versatile within themselves as opposed to having extensive parts or adapters to work with different systems.

Overall the AHR Expo was massive, impressive, and fun. The new products were inspiring, and the cohesive approach to HVAC as a system was refreshing. I expect good things in 2014.