STUDY & CAREER PATHS FOR

CM/MAINTENANCE & RELIABILITY

PEOPLE

Ray Beebe MCM Consultants Pty Ltd

Reliability & Maintenance

engineers?

• Reliability engineers: not governed by day-

to-day operations; strategic focus; develop

programs that provide the framework for

maintenance.

• Maintenance engineers: immediate

equipment functionality; implement

strategies developed in co-operation with

reliability engineers.

STUDY? WHY?

Want to

learn?

“Read a

book?”

Gain a

formal,

valued

qualification

Interest: sheer joy

of learning

Equip for

promotion/

career

change

Mental

challenge

Boss

says

so!

MY STORY IN FORMAL PG STUDY

Early in career (at RMIT):

Maths 5

Machinery Vibrations

Later:

Accounting (TAFE course).

Later (Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education):

Project management

Engineering Supervision

Even later: (APESMA)

Financial accounting for engineers

OUTCOME

Early in career (at RMIT):

Maths 5 Dropped out – irrelevant

Machinery Vibrations Dropped out – irrelevant

Later:

Accounting (TAFE course). Instructor at info session-

said I should just read a book!

Later (Gippsland Institute of Adv Education):

Project management Passed

Engineering Supervision Passed

Even later (APESMA):

Financial accounting for engineers Passed

OTHER STUFF I DID

18 short courses run by employer in technical

topics and management development

4-week course at Melbourne University Business

School

MEngSc(Research) (egotrip to keep up with my

offspring!)

Ongoing learning – avid reading, writing, speaking,

conferences, meetings.

SURVEY (62 RESPONSES) ON OUTCOMES OF

COURSES

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Participate in more challenging

projects

More valuable contribution

Decision making improved

Enjoy w orking more

Applied/gained new external

position

Received promotion - internal

Effective communicator

Strongly agree

Agree

Disagree

Strongly disagree

Not applicable

(Beebe and Hodkiewicz, 2005)

What is your basic technical discipline?

Mechanical

Electrical

Electronic/Mechatronic

Management

Other

Chemical/Process/Oil&

Gas

What industry do you currently work in?

Mining/mineral

processing/refining

Defence (military &

civilian)

Manufacturing

Utility (gas, water,

power)

Petrochemical

Service

Provider/Consultant

Government

Warehouse/logistics

Timber/pulp&paper

Transport (air, road,

rail)

Describe your job when you started your

studies.

Reliability

Engineer

Maintenance/

CM Engineer

Strategic

Planner

Maintenance

Supervisor

Maintenance

Technician

Project

Manager/

Manager

Operations

(Engineer/

Manager)

Other

Top 3 technical:

Reliability and Risk Based Inspection methods

Failure modes and effects analysis

Failure mechanisms & Root cause analysis

Top 3 management:

Life cycle costing and NPV methods

Risk assessment

Budgeting and capital expenditure

Note: Some of these are not in traditional BE programs

Educational drivers summary

Observations

People in reliability have a wide variety of educational backgrounds and experience.

Reliability: a job people “move” into, not an early career choice

Few of the skills used by reliability engineers are taught in BEs.

Many reliability professionals do targeted education in the form of university-coordinated postgraduate studies, vendor- supplied or institution organised training.

Lots of engineers, but relatively few have undertaken PG reliability education

SOME COURSES

Wollongong

Uni

EIT

UniWA

Asset

Mgt

CQUni

MaintM

gt

Federation

Uni MRE

APMM

COURSES IN GENERAL: UNIVERSITIES

Graduate Certificates

4 subjects, usually over 1 year

Conditional entry if no BE degree

Articulation on to GradDip (on results)

Graduate Diplomas

8 subjects, usually over 2 years

Entry via articulation from GradCert

Articulation on to Master’s (on results)

Master’s degree

8 subjects if BE entry

4 more subjects if articulating

Or, some Unis - dissertation after GradDip

COURSES IN GENERAL: RTOS

Certificate IV

4 subjects, usually over 1 year

Diploma

8 subjects, usually over 2 years

Advanced Diploma

8 subjects

Australian Qualifications Framework - AQF - sets out

the requirements and differences between the

levels

APMM GROUP (PERTH)

Certificate IV Workshops (6 days)

Principles of Maintenance Management

Scope Management

Planning and Scheduling Techniques

Cost Management

Occupational Health and Safety

Performance Indicators in Maintenance Management

Maintenance Operations Planning

MS Project Basic/Intermediate

Assessment by competency-certified process

APMM GROUP

Diploma Workshops (6 days) (completion of

Cert IV required first)

The Maintenance Working Environment

Root Cause Analysis

Project Human Resources Management

Managing the Maintenance Inventory

Reliability Centred Maintenance

Quality Management

Assessment by competency-certified process

CQUNIVERSITY

Graduate Certificate in Maintenance Management

Graduate Diploma in Maintenance management

Master of Maintenance Management

Print study materials

Residential schools

Assessment by assignments – no exams

CQUNIVERSITY

Introduction to Maintenance Engineering

Establishing the Maintenance Strategy

Maintenance Organisation

Maintenance Systems & Documentation

Maintenance Leadership

Advanced Condition Monitoring

Turnaround Management

Maintenance Materials Management

Auditing Maintenance Systems

EIT TECHNOLOGY (PERTH)

Advanced Diploma in Plant Engineering (one of

several available)

18 months by e-learning: 72 webcasts

Manuals provided.

Modules:

Plant Engineering Fundamentals

Plant Operations and Facility Management

Electrical Equipment and Technology

Pressure Vessels and Boilers

Mechanical Components

Hydraulics and Pneumatics

EIT MODULES (CONT’D)

Pumps and Seals

Thermodynamics, Compressors, Fans and Blowers

Piping, HVAC and Materials Handling

Noise and Vibration

Structural and Civil Engineering Concepts

Project Management

Process Management

Energy Management

Instrument and Control Engineering

Maintenance Management

Environmental Engineering and concepts

Safety Management

Soft skills

FEDERATION MRE

Graduate Certificates:

Maintenance Management

Reliability Engineering

Graduate Diploma in Engineering Maintenance

management

Master of Maintenance and Reliability Engineering

(Note: These programs were offered by Monash

University from 1990 to 2014, when Monash gave its

Gippsland Campus and all its resources to the new

Federation University)

Federation Uni subjects (called courses)

Terotechnology and life cycle costs

Maintenance management

Industrial techniques in maintenance management

Asset management techniques

Quantitative techniques for asset management

Machine condition monitoring and fault diagnosis

Risk engineering

Maintenance and Reliability Engineering Project

Basic quantitative skills for reliability engineering

Understanding reliability

Advanced reliability

Reliability applications

ABOUT FEDERATION MRE

Taught by 8 people: 1 on campus, the rest

“sessionals”

Study materials and teaching on line using

MOODLE.

Assessment by assignment and examination

(except 2 units that have project type assignments)

Exams run anywhere in the world (even on a ship).

Commonwealth Supported Places available but

limited – full fees then (tax-deductible)

No residential attendance (did up to 2009)

WOLLONGONG UNI

Grad Cert (4 subjects)

Master’s (8 subjects: 6 core and choice of 3

electives)

Master’s has options: course or dissertation (worth

2 subjects)

Modular workshops and on-line content

Face-to-face sessions weekly in Sydney

UOW SUBJECTS

Modelling of Engineering Management Systems

Financial Management for Engineered Assets

Project Implementation and Outsourcing

Life-Cycle and Risk Management

Maintenance Requirements Analysis

Systems Reliability Engineering

Elective Subjects

Infrastructure Decision Support

Asset Management System Design

Managing People in Organisations

Or

Dissertation

UWA

Asset management and Reliability Engineering –

short course

Weekly night classes on campus in Perth

Other courses in block sessions - three 2 day

sessions or 8 days of workshops

Now included in Master of Executive Engineering

(new 2014) and MBA

OTHERS IN AUSTRALIA

Vocational Graduate Certificate in Physical Asset

Management: Chifley Business School and GHD

3 x 2-day courses, plus workplace tasks)

Graduate Cert/Dip/Master’s of Infrastructure

Engineering and Management: Monash University,

Civil Engg Dept

Off-campus learning, civil engg focus

Institute of Quality and Asset Management – certs

and diplomas

AND, OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA (SOME):

Manchester University Maintenance engineering and asset

management (DE option)

University of Aberdeen Safety engineering, reliability and risk

management

Heriot Watt University Safety, Rick and Reliability engineering

(DE only)

Rutgers University Quality and Reliability engineering

University of Arizona Reliability and Quality Engineering

(DE only)

University of Maryland Reliability Engineering

University of Tennessee Reliability and Maintainability Engineering

(some by DE)

UTK’S SUBJECTS

Core Courses:

Introduction to Mathematical Statistics

Introduction to Reliability Engineering

Introduction to Maintainability Engineering

Process System Reliability and Safety

Electives:

Applications of Linear Algebra in Engineering Systems

Applications of Multivariate Statistics and Process Modeling and Data Analysis

Modern Transform Methods

Random Process Theory for Engineers

Statistical Methods in Industrial Engineering

Reliability of Lean Systems

Mechanical Vibrations

Equipment and System Prognostics

Empirical Models for Monitoring and Diagnostics

UTK’S SUBJECTS (CONT’D)

Also Statistics Electives:

Statistical Techniques in Industrial Processes

Analysis of Lifetime Data

Statistical Methods

Applied Linear Models

Design of Experiments

Data Mining

Applied Time Series

Categorical Data Analysis

Applied Multivariate Methods

ABERDEEN SUBJECTS

Fundamental Safety Engineering & Risk Management

Concepts

Statistics & Probability for Safety, Reliability & Quality

Fire & Explosion Engineering

Offshore Oil & Gas Production Systems

Advanced Methods for Risk & Reliability Assessment

Applied Risk Analysis & Management

Process Safety & Reliability

Human Factors

Individual Project

For full-time students taking the MSc Program

RUTGERS

Students must take 7 core courses and select 1 elective from the list provided.

o Core Courses

Production Analysis

Quality Management

Systems Reliability Engineering I

Systems Reliability Engineering II

Statistical Quality Control I

Life Data Analysis

Design of Experiments

Electives

Forecasting and Time Series Analysis

Simulation of Production Systems

Manufacturing Processes and Control

Maintenance Modeling and Optimization

Software Reliability I

Probability

Applied Stochastic Processes

STORIES OF SOME CAREER OUTCOMES

Some comments noted over the years from

students/graduates

Most from around Australia, but also in every

continent (OK, not Antarctica!)

Monash Uni – but similar feedback would be

expected from other courses

Wordy slides, but kept as they are worth reading

A

My Grad Dip gave me the framework to understand

in depth how a large maintenance department

should run and the confidence to stand up there

and tell it how it is!

Set me up for a career in helping organisations

close the gap.

(Set up own company).

B NEW STUDENT IN THE UK: BEFORE

Have spent a fair bit of time over the last few

months looking (and speaking with course

coordinators) at eg xxxxxxx uni, yyyyyyyy Uni (only

35 miles from my home so would've been ideal)

and zzzzzzzz Uni who all do something

similar. However, not wishing to be patronising

their modules did not seem as interesting, courses

were less flexible and the universities were not as

highly ranked (not even close) in global terms as

Monash. In addition, their course coordinators were

not as helpful- costs were all much of a muchness

though.

B ...AND AFTER….

….has been of huge worth ….

… accountants need to be made aware of potential pitfalls that they can make… could lead to the demise of the organisation. It needs good solid engineering arguments with a knowledge of life-cycle costing to make this clear to all and MRE gave me the mix between engineering and management required in modern industries or with hi-tech assets.

Being qualified in a subject that the organisation has bought into (my manager was my project sponsor) led to him taking a deeper look at the subject and ultimately gave him faith in me and what I'm qualified to provide.

The number of positions I have been offered since receiving the Master’s degree has been incredible

C THE OAM…

“For meritorious service in the fields of Marine

Engineering and Engineering Management”

Captain XXXX has been an outstanding advocate

of technical excellence and engineering reform over

a long period, and he took the initiative in

addressing systemic weaknesses and commencing

correction action of cultural deficiencies in the

maintenance of the Fleet’s aging Amphibious and

Afloat Support ships. He worked tirelessly to

improve engineering standards and took a leading

role in initiating the reinvigoration of consistently

correct maintenance approaches in the Fleet.

D

I have been offered a job with another company as

a reliability manager. It would not be fair to not give

any credit for this opportunity to the Monash MRE

program. This program more than prepared me for

the interview and we had a good candid discussion

about where they are and where they need to go.

I'm very much appreciative to you and Monash for

this program.

E

The presentation was given to my planning team

yesterday afternoon and some actions have been

planned to be taken as a result of the presentation.

Planners showed great interest in the topics and

the presentation did turn out to be a very

contributive and useful to the operation of

maintenance planning office. Thanks a lot!

(Feedback on work done for an assessed

assignment)

F

I have found the unit (indeed all four units) that I

have undertaken in the Maintenance Management

program to have been of real value within my job

role as a maintenance practitioner.

Thanks for the level of feedback on previous

assignments from this and other units. Not an

experience I'm used to after studying at xxxxxx

xxxxx. Greatly appreciated.

G

This assignment asked me to provide a policy and a manual for “your organization”. I work at the xxxx refinery in xxxxxx.

Therefore, the information included in this assignment is real information… I was intrigued by the thoughts of a Reliability Policy. Until I took this unit, I had never heard of a Reliability Policy and had never seen one. Today, I showed my assignment to my supervisor. I discussed the advantages of having a Reliability Policy with him and suggested that he discuss developing a Reliability Policy with our plant leadership team. He was open to this suggestion.

One reason that I like taking the courses is that I feel that I can apply them directly to what I am doing at work.

H

I've been at xxxxxxx Power Station for 3 years now

as the Maintenance Manager and loving it. There's

certainly some issues here but we'll steadily work

through those.

Success in my mind was no doubt due to the

Master’s course and how I applied it at my last job

(and the opportunities available and taken there

too, of course). …. I certainly consider the Masters

one of the best career moves I've ever made.

I

Please find attached Assignment 3. I believe this

has directly impacted my career, as I have been

successful in furthering my career with xxxxxxx, at

the LNG plant in yyyyyy.

I will fill the role of Maintenance Team Leader,

starting in Mid October - busy couple of months

ahead!!!!

J AND K

Applied my learning from the unit I studied, and

gained $US80000 value for my company. (US)

I would say that the MRE studies got me through

the front door and through the selection criteria and

then my experience got me over the line. More

significantly the MRE studies gave me the

confidence to apply for the job (I ended up with 5

offers) and made me want to work directly in the

MRE field.

L

I still work in Offshore Oil & Gas Industry and have earned a wider appreciation and respect for my documented operational skills. I have just left xxxxxxxx in Korea after over 3 years. Next week I start with a company in Norway as their Project Manager for some contracts in Rio de Janeiro. The company appreciate very much the experience and skills of grey-haired personnel and especially the effort of graduating with a Master’s Degree at the age of 57. The oil industry is booming and skill shortage requires those > 55's to be appreciated and sought after for their skills. (Student from Norway, but mostly working elsewhere)

M

I have gained a lot from it. It has given a lot of

structure to things I had learned on the job, as well

as the huge amount of new stuff I have learn.

It has been influential in getting 3 jobs so far. ( The

first job as a Maintenance Planning Superintendent,

a second job as a Senior Project Engineer in

Argentina, and now my current job as Regional

Maintenance Manager).

AND LASTLY….N AND O

I got a new job based on the fact that I had applied

and been accepted into the course…..

(I do not recall him completing it..!)

Continuing to enjoy the unit, except I showed my

boss this assignment which I completed primarily in

my own time and he liked the fault tree and wants

me to produce a FTA for conductors and connectors

giving me more work. Great stuff! as my employer

and I are getting value out of it, I don’t know about

the extra work for me though!

:-)

TWO FINAL STORIES

The Graduate Certificate …. was instrumental in

helping me become Production Supervisor at a new

plant. A great opportunity for further advancement,

apart from about $40K increase in salary

Within the two years from enrolment I have gone

from a project 2I/C co-ordinator to a maintenance

superintendent, adding around $35K to my salary.

Your masters program has been a big contributor to

this. The content is the underlying factor with which

individuals can build the confidence needed to take

the next step".

SOURCES OF INFO

Apmm.com.au

CQU.edu.au

EIT.edu.au

Federation.edu.au

Uow.edu.au

UWA.edu.au

www.iq-am.com.au

And to verify accreditation:

aqf.edu.au

teqsa.gov.au

WHAT’S NEXT?

Point for discussion: is there such a thing as

overskilling?

What will YOU do now?