Paul Hiller, ICML, June 2, 2021 | On a relaxing Saturday during the month of September, 2020, a certification candidate cleared his desk and turned on his computer. He was dressed up better than one might expect just to get some work done at his home office, but he knew he would be on camera this time and decided he should make a good visual impression. Slightly nervous, he opened up a pre-scheduled video meeting and waited for his contact to join him online.
Though he himself was located in the nation of Panama, the other participant would log in from a call center in another country, possibly half way around the world. However, after joining the call, this other person never did comment on the candidate’s fine clothing ensemble. Instead, he chatted with the candidate for a few minutes, provided access to an online testing platform, and then proceeded to monitor the candidate during a three-hour MLE certification exam.
Dress for Success
The candidate’s name was Manuel Lombardero, Academic Director of Proactive Engineering, S.A.C. He passed that MLE exam in September, as well as three more online exams (MLT I, MLA I Supplemental, and MLA II) back-to-back during the next two months. He chuckles now as he recalls his handling of such a tight grouping of exams. “I took four remotely proctored exams in 2020, and it was interesting to see how much more relaxed I became after each time,” he says. “I really dressed up for the first one as I wasn’t sure what to expect. By the time I took my fourth exam, I was quite comfortable taking the exam in my pajamas.
Figure 1: [L to R] Manuel Lombardero, Michael D. Holloway, and Umut Arslan: Associate Members and volunteers are the lifeblood of ICML’s operations.
Lombardero’s story exemplifies the ICML experience for many: professional and challenging, yet practical and approachable. We are, after all, in a “people business” as we help practitioners to do their best and to be for recognized for their efforts.
Along with a handful of other ICML-certified practitioners around the world, Lombardero is an Associate Member of the International Council for Machinery Lubrication. In connection with ICML’s 20th Anniversary celebration this year, a few of our Associate Members have described why they chose to sign on as Associates, and they also offered their insights on the practical roles that ICML and its volunteers have played for 20 years.
Recognition, Relationships, Smart Business
Associate is a relatively new membership category, replacing the former “Individual” category in late 2019. Associate Membership is restricted to certified practitioners, offering the option to publicly support ICML’s mission. As such, Lombardero and others like him may use the official ICML Associate logo in their personal profiles and communications, and they can display membership certificates.
What’s more, “I get a star next to my name!!!” laughs Lombardero. He is literally correct—after all, who doesn’t like getting a gold star? ICML recognizes all its current certificants in the online Certified Professionals Directory, where employers and colleagues alike can verify the status of practitioners who claim to be credentialed. In order to distinguish those individuals who help support ICML’s mission as Associate Members, we started putting stars next to their names.
Figure 2: Gold stars distinguish Associate Members from other practitioners in ICML’s online Certified Professionals Directory.
Lombardero adds that, as an Associate Member, he also wants “to keep in close touch with the ICML and find opportunities to get involved and keep up with the industry. I believe in ICML’s mission, and this membership is a way to support the ICML. Also, the price is very reasonable when compared to other industry associations.”
Fellow Associate Member Umut Arslan, Senior Diagnostician at SGS Turkey, chimes in here. “In our industry, we need to keep updated, to learn and improve our skills, to get news and to get closer relationships with ICML family,” he says. No doubt non-members also acquire news and improve skills, but it is those “closer relationships” that can be just as key to career growth—perhaps more so than skills alone. For instance, when ICML staff seeks feedback or input on various matters—whether for in-house initiatives or for public exposure—it is usually the more engaged practitioners who receive invitations to participate (pending compliance with other criteria, as necessary). We tend to contact those who have helped in the past, or those who are active on social media, or those who have signed on with one of our membership packages—including Associates. This very article you are reading is an example; it serves as a means to provide information about ICML’s membership program while also bringing attention to specific Associate Members.
Michael D. Holloway, President of 5th Order Industry, confirms that membership was a practical business move as he launched his USA-based consulting company. He signed himself up as an Associate Member and his company as an Affiliate Member. “Being an Associate made smart business sense,” he says. “It provided visibility on the ICML website and use of the ICML logo in our marketing materials.” Eventually, Holloway decided to upgrade his company to a Full Member status while maintaining his personal Associate status. “As our business grew, we decided to become a Full Member. It increased our exposure, allowing greater influence, having a vote on the board as well as the exam credits. Economically, it made sense due to the fact that we provide certification preparation, and being a Full Member allows money to be applied to exam fees.”
Associating with the Big Fish, Doing Big Things
It is no coincidence that certified practitioners who become Associate Members are, by default, the kinds of people who hold knowledgeable opinions on ICML’s relevance to the promotion of industrial lubrication. ICML has been involved with certifications and other support programs for 20 years—a metaphorical fish growing and adapting in the ever-expanding pond of machinery applications and industrial certifications. Our associates understand that our efforts bring value to this pond.
“There are thousands of professional certifications spanning an immense galaxy of industry,” observes Holloway. “Lubrication has always been one of several disciplines that transcends market and industrial sectors. Most machines require lubrication for extended service. As an authority on content, ICML serves as a guide in this vast expanse.”
When asked about ICML’s greatest accomplishments, our associates all pointed to the same two recent achievements: the MLE and online exams.
Lombardero says, “The pond is quite large and ever growing. The ICML has been doing a good job in keeping up with industry evolution and needs to continue doing so.”
And Arslan offers some details on what this kind of activity should look like. “If ICML continues to provide services in all languages, if it keeps up with the developing technology, if certified professionals do their jobs well and receive support from ICML after certification, then ICML will remain a big fish,” he explains.
Associate Members recognize that ICML’s longstanding relevance is at least partially attributed to its commitment to practical solutions for Associate Members and others. When asked about ICML’s greatest accomplishment during its first 20 years of operation, our associates all pointed to the same two recent achievements.
“The Machinery Lubrication Engineer (MLE)®,” declares Holloway, who served as a technical contributor on that certification exam’s worldwide development committee. “It is the premier certification that stands alone above all the others. The work that went into developing it was an example of excellent orchestration.” Holloway is not wrong. The MLE was developed by an international team of 35 subject matter experts as a holistic, real-world, management level certification that goes well beyond the traditional lubrication subjects.
Lombardero echoes the MLE opinion. “I was also very happy to see the MLE certification aligned to support asset management,” he says, and then he segues to another ICML milestone: “The ICML offered online proctored exams during the Covid-19 crisis [in 2020]. Fast adaptation!” Similarly, Arslan praises the rapid development of online exams. “During this pandemic, ICML adapted without any problem—and quickly!—to a remote exam program so that we can do exams comfortably in place.”
It’s true: ICML developed its online exam program—converting multiple languages for every paper certification exam available—in the span of less than four months, unveiling the remotely proctored exams in mid-July 2020. As a practical matter, this rollout enabled candidates to resume certifications during worldwide lockdowns while paper exam sessions were on hiatus, and it also provided independent training companies a new reason to attract paying students to their ICML-centric classes during the 2020 economic downturn.
Volunteers: Authority, Goals, Confidence, and Impact
Holloway recalls an incident from a trade show several years ago: “Someone saw the number of certification acronyms on my business card and said, ‘That’s a lot of certifications,’ and I replied, ‘There’s a lot of moving parts.’”
Moving parts, indeed! Whether we are talking about one member’s business activity or ICML’s entire operation, we all subsist on moving parts. Holloway notes that volunteers, whether they are Associate Members or not, provide the lifeblood necessary to fulfill ICML’s mission with any credibility or relevance. “Volunteers keep the organization on track. As a volunteer your voice is heard and your ideas are considered because, if not, the volunteers would walk,” he explains. Without the voice of volunteers, “ICML would lose the most important aspect of what it represents: to be an authority. An authoritative organization must encompass many in order to work. Volunteers are the many that make it work.”
Our Associate Members are driven by their own personal levels of participation with ICML. As Holloway states, “I am extremely glad I have developed a great relationship with ICML. I only hope that I can provide equal to what I have received.”
When ICML staff seeks input on various matters, it is usually the more engaged practitioners–including Associate Members–who receive invitations to participate.
Volunteers contribute “different perspectives, a worldwide approach, and increased knowledge sharing,” notes Lombardero. “It is the volunteers’ contributions that keep the certifications relevant and practical.” Additionally, ICML provides a track for Lombardero’s professional goalsetting: “I plan to continue pursuing certifications and growing in the lubricant field. On the mid-term one of my goals is to grow my maintenance team’s knowledge and best practices and win a Battle Award.”
Growth is on Arslan’s mind, as well. He enjoys ICML as a confidence booster. “I have earned MLA II and MLA III certificates and am also an Associate Member. In industries and customer relations, this promotes self-confidence and respect from professionals,” he says. “That really excites me and makes me want to do more. With ICML I develop my self-discipline while still learning and progressing my career.”
“What excites me most is the impact that we make in others’ lives,” Holloway adds. “As volunteers, we provide a vehicle for developing competencies in order for them to make a difference that is far reaching. It goes beyond an income; it means something to keep a machine going that extra mile or producing that added product or kilowatt. It has a profound impact on the world. What we do matters.”
[Editor’s Note: In celebration of ICML’s 20th Anniversary during 2021, certified practitioners can sign on for a three-year Associate Membership for just $80–that is a $20 discount! Limited time offer.]
