There are several significant benefits that companies may realize from becoming a member of the RMC. Listed below are several of those benefits that led our current members to join and to be active participants in the RMC.
A primary reason that several companies are part of the RMC is to tap into the stream of outstanding graduates from the only US program of this type that meets their requirements. The young men and women graduating with our certification have earned an engineering degree in their particular discipline, completed certain specific reliability and maintainability course work, participated in two weeks of intensive reliability and maintainability training, and spent at least two twelve-week internships with an RMC member company. Others have earned a Minor in Reliability and Maintainability Engineering along with their major discipline. Still, others have participated in internships to gain valuable experience, but not taken the elective coursework.
Student Internships
The RMC works closely with the Office of Professional Practice to locate, orient, and place interested engineering students with various RMC member companies. Companies wishing to request an intern must complete our intern request form.
The RMC sponsors regular best practice sharing member meetings, occasional short courses, and an annual open-to-the-public conference, MARCON® (Maintenance and Reliability Conference). MARCON® serves as an annual forum for nationally and internationally recognized specialists to exchange information on new reliability and maintenance engineering methods and on practical applications of advanced techniques. This conference has something for all participants, from beginners to old pros, and continues to grow in attendance and in the quality and relevance of the papers presented.
Member company representatives receive important information through several channels, both formal and informal. Our semi-annual member meetings are high-value forums for information exchange with our member companies sharing best practices, reviewing new technologies, and discussing leading-edge management approaches. Meetings often include case studies presented by member companies and other recognized authorities.
The RMC also acts as an informal clearinghouse, passing along pertinent information to its members, putting members in contact with other appropriate sources of pertinent information, facilitating member contacts, and more.
Our member companies belong to a very unique group whose members share a common vision and a desire to continuously improve their maintenance and reliability practices. Relationships developed at RMC functions frequently lead to further positive contacts outside of formal RMC activities. The RMC staff actively encourages, promotes, and assists in this networking.
As a major university, research and technology assessment is an integral part of the culture here at UT. Faculty, graduate research assistants, laboratories, connections to the National Science Foundation, and close relations to several national laboratories facilitate our ability to provide excellent performance in the area of reliability and maintainability. Sponsorship of RMC projects is optional; not all of our members choose to participate. However, those that do participate get substantial benefits from projects that they specify, approve, and monitor. Our funding method and project management approach ensures companies “get what they pay for.” The research work we did on shaft alignment and energy savings is a good example: It provided the sponsoring companies with savings totaling many times the amount spent on sponsoring the project.
In all we do, the RMC seeks to build bridges between industry and academia, through the support of businesses and the building of alliances among member companies and organizations, partnering institutions, and UT.
There is no commercial activity at RMC functions, but our meetings do provide opportunities for companies to learn about one another and to make important contacts. Several business alliances and partnerships have grown from contacts initially made at RMC events.
The RMC provides learning, meeting and networking opportunities, both formal and informal, with companies and with individual members.
Member companies are entitled to cost discounts on most of our “for fee” programs (executive seminars, short courses, an annual conference, etc.).
