Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1123345
TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION at a typical industrial plant, whether serving on staff or as a contractor/consultant. Among other considerations, the MLE was designed to verify whether candidates are qualifi ed to manage lubrication teams and key supplier relations; troubleshoot tough problems identifi ed by routine anal- ysis and inspections; and implement action plans including changes in machinery design, procedure development, lubricant and hard- ware selection/analysis, inspection design, training, staff communications, etc. A professional engineering degree is not necessary to earn or hold MLE certifi cation, nor is there a prerequisite that a candidate hold any other ICML certifi cations. However, thanks to overlapping bodies of knowledge, candidates likely will fi nd that Machine Lubricant Analyst (MLA) and Machinery Lubrication Technician (MLT) training and certifi cation can be helpful as they prepare for the MLE. "It is a logical progression up from the MLT II certifi cation and should give corporate America a standard that the machine lubrica- tion SMEs at the plant and senior management levels can use to qualify their knowledge levels," says Johnson. In a forward-thinking move, ICML strate- gically mapped the MLE body of knowledge to ICML 55, which makes MLE certifi cation ideal for those leading institutional compli- ance with ICML 55.1 as a tactical step toward achieving ISO 55001 certification. Plants that choose to certify or hire MLE personnel can expect them to comprehend ICML 55's framework and ensure that all relevant factors impacting lubricated asset decision-making are adequately considered by key stakeholders. "Ensuring the competency of those empow- ered to develop lubrication programs that conform to ICML 55.1 through MLE certifi - cation is the fi rst step in creating long-overdue consistency around lubrication practices in our industry," observes Mark Barnes, who serves on the MLE development committee. " e skills required to become a certifi ed MLE are perfectly and purposely aligned to the 12 certifi cation categories of ICML 55.1," adds Fitch. "An MLE would have the knowledge to serve as a program champion to guide an organization through the many steps to asset management certifi cation under ICML 55.1." What's Next? While organizations can get started with ICML 55.1 now, ICML's technical contribu- tors are still hard at work developing the ICML 55.2 guideline. "It will be the most comprehensive how-to guide available in the industry today," Wenzel notes. " e 55.2 standard will showcase global contributions in relation to the 12 categories detailed in 55.1." Fitch agrees that ICML 55 standards and MLE certifi cants will have a signifi cant impact on the global industry. "We look forward to the enormous but exciting challenge of launching this new standard into the global lubrication and reliability community," he says. " is is a monumental event that will change the face of lubrication in the context of reliability and asset management forever." For more information on the ICML 55.1 standard or the new MLE certifi cation, visit www.lubecouncil.org or read Jim Fitch's article on page 2. ML