Certified Equipment Manager Designation Brings Benefit

Sept. 28, 2010

The next chance to take the Certified Equipment Manager exam, or retake parts of the exam, will be in November at the Asset Management Symposium in Louisville, Ky. All 16 designated core knowledge areas will be reviewed prior to the taking of the exam.

Dale Warner, CEM, was one of the founders of the CEM program. Equipment Manager asked Dale to share his thoughts on why the Certified Equipment Manager program was created and what it has meant to him.

EM: What was the original vision for the CEM and when did you start working on it?

The next chance to take the Certified Equipment Manager exam, or retake parts of the exam, will be in November at the Asset Management Symposium in Louisville, Ky. All 16 designated core knowledge areas will be reviewed prior to the taking of the exam.

Dale Warner, CEM, was one of the founders of the CEM program. Equipment Manager asked Dale to share his thoughts on why the Certified Equipment Manager program was created and what it has meant to him.

EM: What was the original vision for the CEM and when did you start working on it?

Dale: The vision was to get the equipment manager to be recognized as an asset to the employer, a position with credibility just like a CPA. I started working on it in 1993; prior to that there were less significant versions.

EM: How were the 16 core knowledge areas selected and have they changed over the years?

Dale: The categories were selected by a group of equipment managers. The questions that became the basis of the CEM were: “What are your main duties and what does the company expect from you?”

The basic 16 subjects are the same, however, they have been rewritten to keep up with the times.

Currently the CEM Commission is developing a request for proposal to fully audit and rewrite all our parts of the curriculum and the exam. This redevelopment program will make the CEM designation even stronger.

EM: What has been the greatest benefit of the CEM?

Dale: The greatest benefit that I feel is that my employer, vendors and the industry as a whole recognize me as a professional and a true manager. Another side benefit is I am not in want for employment. The bottom line is, cream rises to the top.

With my employers, it has given me equal footing in the decision-making process at the key staff executive level. Now they do not hesitate to seek my opinion and support my decisions.

To register for the CEM exam, go to www.aemp.org and the CEM section. Deadline for CEM registration is Friday, Sept. 21, 2007. For those who have already earned their CEM, recertification guidelines are now available on the CEM section of the AEMP website.