Volunteer As a Maintenance and Reliability Professional
Originally published at
MT-Online.com May 2005
I have been reading a great deal about volunteerism as
the U.S. version of
National Volunteer Week has just passed.
The
2005 theme, “Inspire by Example,” truly reflects the
power volunteers have to inspire the people they help,
as well as to inspire others to serve. The Points of
Light Web site has many good resources about
volunteering.
As I
spent time on the site it struck me that volunteerism is
alive and well in the maintenance and reliability
community.
MIMOSA
As I began
this article, Maintenance Technology Editor Bob Baldwin
was attending the annual meeting of
MIMOSA (Machinery
Information Management Open Systems Alliance), a
nonprofit trade association which develops and
encourages adoption of open information standards for
Operations and Maintenance in manufacturing, fleet, and
facility environments. The simplistic explanation for
MIMOSA is a highly motivated group of people who are
working to ensure all software can work together in a
meaningful way without adding massive new programming
code.
Since 1998, the group has grown in importance and
currently offers numerous ways for interested people to
get involved. If plant software and its interoperability
are important to you, please visit the Web site and
contact one of the board members listed to discuss how
you can volunteer.
I
recently had an opportunity to see MIMOSA in action at
the International Maintenance Conference as 15 different
vendors who each offer MIMOSA Compliant software came
together for the first time and created one fully
functioning information system. It was a very impressive
demonstration.
AFE
The Association for
Facilities Engineering (AFE) provides education,
certification, technical information, and other relevant
resources for plant and facility engineering,
operations, and maintenance professionals worldwide. I
recently renewed my membership as AFE has become more
active in maintenance and reliability.
It
has created councils for people who have specific
interests and I am involved with the Maintenance
Council. I happen to know that this council is seeking
volunteers as I have been asked to lend a hand.
AFE
has other benefits including local chapters and a
growing resource-based Web site. It would be a great
place for anyone in facilities maintenance to get
involved.
SMRP
My personal time is spent volunteering at the
Society for Maintenance &
Reliability Professionals (SMRP). This group has
been around for 14 years and the volunteers have worked
diligently to share best practices and to promote
professionalism.
They
are having an impact as you now read articles in this
magazine, our Web site, and almost every other industry
publication referring to “maintenance and reliability
professionals.” That is you—in case you have not figured
it out.
SMRP
has a number of volunteer activities available including
working on the best practices committee, the
certification committee, the benchmarking committee, the
standards committee, the marketing committee, the
conference committee, and more. Once you learn your way
around the group, you might even volunteer or be
nominated as an officer or director and take on a
leadership role.
We
are all busy. Being a volunteer is hard work and
requires a time commitment. I work hard in my volunteer
role at SMRP and I hope that my contribution will also
make a difference for the maintenance community. In
return the things I have learned at SMRP have
contributed to my personal and professional development.
So,
get involved and volunteer as each of these fine
organizations can surely use whatever help you can give.
In return you will make a difference, learn a lot, and
make great friends.
If
you know of other maintenance-related organizations that
seek volunteers, please e-mail me at
tohanlon@reliabilityweb.com
Terrence O’Hanlon, CMRP, is the publisher of
Reliabilityweb.com. He is the director of strategic
alliances for the Society for Maintenance & Reliability
Professionals (SMRP). He is also the event manager for
CMMS-2005, the Computerized Maintenance Management
Summit on July 26-29, 2005, in Indianapolis, IN,
www.maintenanceconference.com
Internet
Tip: Network Online
There is a fantastic discussion going on at
MaintenanceForums.com with thousands of maintenance
and reliability professionals asking questions, posting
case studies, and learning from each other in a
noncommercial environment. The discussion is taking
place on a Web-based, “threaded” discussion board.
The
board requires registration to ensure spammers and
commercial posters can be removed and your privacy is
assured. Your e-mail is never displayed unless you
decide to post it. The board is divided into
subject-based categories. It is a good idea to cruise
through the board and get a flavor for the type and tone
of the discussions. Once you are comfortable, go ahead
and share your advice, solve a problem, or post a
question. You will be surprised at the speed and quality
of the responses.
|
