IAPMO Research and Testing (R&T) and the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC) signed an agreement on January 7, 1999, in Kaoshing, Taiwan, that will allow the two organizations to work together toward mutual goals. In the coming months, IAPMO R&T inspectors will audit and certify the organization's first laboratory on the Pacific Rim. The facility will be operated by MIRDC. The lab will assist plumbing product manufacturers in decreasing the time and cost it takes to get a product on the market.