AEMP Certified Equipment Support Professional Institute Syllabus

Each of the sixteen classes described below are designed to be one hour in length and taught as an overview and extension of information presented in the Career Equipment Fleet Manager Manual.

1. Benchmarking -

Benchmarking for best business practices is a tool that can be used by any business. It can measure where a business is relative to its competition in the industry. It can be used by any business that incorporates productivity improvements and the development of new technology to embark on continuous quality improve¬ment of its products or services. This session will show how improvements and technologies in turn are used to maintain and increase the business customer base. This improves the flow of money and information through the business entity, which is essential to its life and growth.

2. Employee Training -

If the past is any indication of the future, we can expect change to continue and the training requirements to intensify. Equipping the technician of today with the best knowledge and skills will prepare the individual for the position requirements of the future. In this session you will learn that designing an effective training program is not easy and will require great effort by the training team.

3. Environmental –

Participants in this session will learn how emissions, fuel, oil and other pollutants and hazardous waste need to be managed to protect employees and the environment. An understanding of environmental concerns is critical for the future of the industry in countries throughout the world.

4. Financial Management –

This session will develop an understanding that a budget is the central expression of how a firm’s finite resources will be spent. Fundamentally, budgeting is a method to improve operations through a continuous effort to specify what should be done to get the job completed in the best possible way. Budgeting should not be thought of as a device for limiting expenditures; instead it should be seen as a tool for obtaining the most productive and profitable use of the company’s resources.

5. Human Resources -

Until the early 1960s, the laws affecting employer/employee relations were minimal. Traditional labor laws regulating management and union dealings were largely irrelevant, and lawsuits by employees or former employees were rare. That state of affairs has changed radically. Employment laws have evolved with remarkable speed into a diverse and complex set of statutes and precedents touching all facets of employment.

6. Life Cycle Analysis -

Comparing various machine price quotes is easy. Understanding the total owning and operating cost is far more difficult and much more important. When you purchase a large piece of equipment, you want to know how it will perform and how much it will cost per hour. You will need accurate information to assure both costs are covered in future jobs. This section can help you make informed “final cost” decisions. Operating costs vary depending on factors such as application, machine use and operating practice. Strategies to reduce operating costs of construction equipment are also presented.

7. Negotiations -

Most companies cannot raise prices on core business products and services. Therefore, reducing costs is the major focus for increasing profits. Increasing profits through cost reductions is an appropriate strategy for the 21st century. In the long-term, achieving lowest-cost with highest-quality producer status is a prerequisite for profits in the 21st century. Equipment, fleet and shop managers can reduce fleet owning and operating costs by millions of dollars and improve the quality of fleet services delivered by implementing negotiation skills learned in this section.

8. Outsourcing -

Complete in-house minor, major and specialized repair capacity satisfies a natural human emotion for control. However, building the huge infrastructure required to perform major and specialized repairs in-¬house actually causes loss of financial and operational control. The risk vs. return of investing in major and specialized repair capacity cannot be justified in the early 21st century. In this session participants will learn that minimizing fixed investments in major and specialized repair capacities is an appropriate strategy.

9. Parts Management -

Inventory management is the practice of planning, directing and controlling inventory so that it con¬tributes to your business profitability. The parts in your inventory support your equipment fleet to reduce downtime and therefore increase profit for your company. In reality, however, inventory also exists to improve your level of service. In this session, learn that the right amount of the right parts will provide you with what you need when you need it, without enormous stress on your operating capital.

10. Preventive Maintenance -

Proper and adequate preventive maintenance practices and procedures for equipment managers is no longer a “nice to have topic”, it is absolutely necessary and not negotiable if their companies are to be successful and profitable. Many people in the industry perceive that preventive maintenance of mobile equipment is simply the changing of oils, fluids and filters and lubricating pivot points on a regular basis. These are important segments of a properly planned and practiced preventive maintenance program; however, as this section will show, there are many additional elements that must be a part of a successful program.

11. Risk Management –

Managing risk is an essential aspect of any company’s future. This section will discuss the core of risk management for the equipment and fleet manager. Participants will learn about the scope of risk management and how best to minimize it through property coverage, general liability, auto liability, and cargo coverage. Other areas discussed include pollution incidents, worker’s compensation, and handling claims efficiently.

12. Safety -

Construction job sites are dangerous places. When heavy equipment is operating, job sites become even more dangerous. Noise, equipment exhaust, earth vibrations, swinging buckets, forks, booms and ropes, and backup alarms all add to the clamor. However, dangerous does not have to mean unsafe. Earplugs, ventilation, signaling, barricades and warning signs and alert workers contribute to making a noisy job site safe. This section will discuss ways for the equipment/fleet manager to develop a culture of safety in the work environment.

13. Shop/Facilities Management -

In order to use a vehicle effectively it must be available for use. The vehicle’s reliability is measured in availability needed to support utilization expectations. Scheduled maintenance supports targeted availability levels. The proper administration of a scheduled maintenance program includes an effective preventive maintenance inspection and repair program through an in-house and/or outside support network. Maintenance programs support the safe, reliable and economical vehicle operations and its objectives and must be measured and managed. We can outsource the work but not the responsibility and accountability. In this section you will hear how a well managed shop or facility can increase efficiency and safety.

14. Specifications –

In this section participants will learn how preparing appropriate vehicle specifications before making a purchase is critical to acquiring equipment suitable for the task and saves operating and maintenance costs. This section describes the factors that should be considered when preparing vehicle specifications, and it concentrates on functional specifications, since that is the process most widely used by organizations.

15. Technology -

Technology, both hardware and software, have never been as accessible and affordable as it is today. The information management system is just one piece in the puzzle of technology that pervades every aspect of the equipment industry. We have thousands of computer chips in our rolling stock, increased complexity in our diagnostic equipment and palm tops that now often record activity on our mobile equipment repair units. Increasingly, we rely on the Internet for timely and accurate information, mobile phones to stay one step ahead of breakdowns and other needed repairs and a series of seamless interfaces that help us manage our fuel, our costs and our outsourcing. Technology is everywhere and often overwhelming. The purpose of this session is to assist the asset manager in identifying and using technology in all areas and responsibilities.

16. Warranty and Performance Guarantees –

In this session participants will learn how warranties, performance guarantees, funding options and physical damage and liability insurances can be applied as effective financial and operational risk management tools. Warranties cover financial and operational risks associated with defects in assets’ and services’ materials and workmanship. Performance guarantees cover financial and operational risks associated with defects in assets’ and services’ merchantability and fitness for use. Funding options, which allow return without penalties, can be applied to eliminate all financial and operational risk exposures associated with a given asset. Insurance covers accident, physical damage, theft and liability exposures associated with owning, operating and disposing of assets and performing services.