(1) Certified Plant Engineer FAQs
If you’re serious about not just your job, but your career, one of the best ways to
distinguish yourself is by earning the well-known professional designation offered by the
Association for Facilities Engineering. Our program for becoming a Certified Plant
Engineer (CPE) is highly respected because it is very thorough and demanding. Once
you’ve earned your CPE designation you have joined an elite corps of personnel; you
are part of a group of facilities professionals who have proven their knowledge and
competence. Here’s another good reason: Facilities Engineering Journal reported that
plant engineers who achieve the CPE designation earn $2,500 to $3,500 more than their
non-certified colleagues. Many people are unfamiliar with what the program involves. AFE's
Certification Manager Jennifer Gonzalez offers the following facts:
o Am I eligible?
You are eligible if either
(1) You are a degreed engineer (meaning you have a four-year bachelor degree)
with six years of experience inplant/facilities engineering, or four years of
management-level experience in plant/facilities engineering or
(2) You don’t have a degree but do have eight years of experience in
plant/facilities engineering or six years of management-level experience in it. (Note: If
you are a licensed Professional Engineer you are exempt from the exam but still must
submit documentation to AFE to be awarded the CPE designation.)
o Do you have to be an AFE member to take the test?
No. However, exposure to many resources available to AFE members certainly enhances your
knowledge of the facilities engineering field.
o What does the exam cover? What is it like?
The exam — which you have up to eight hours to complete — has 100
multiple-choice questions that cover electrical, civil, mechanical, environmental,
maintenance, economics, management, HVAC, OSHA, controls and instrumentation and energy
topics. About half of the exam is made up of the electrical, civil and mechanical
engineering portions. A score of 67 is required to pass.
o How can I prepare for the exam?
AFE offers a CPE Review Pak, which covers the 11 topics contained in the test. Also, there
are three national review programs a year. The average passing rate of the participants
who take the national review program is about 70%; vs. 50% for those who don’t.
o Where is the exam given?
You can take the CPE exam at either (1) a national review program site or (2) At your own
workplace, using a proctor from your employer's human resources or personnel office. With
either choice, grading is done by AFE staff at the national headquarters office.
o If I fail, can I take the exam again?
Yes.
o If I pass, what happens?
Several things. You will be notified by AFE’s certification department — and so
will your boss. We do this because we think you deserve congratulations and your boss
deserves to know what you have achieved to become a more valuable employee. Also, you will
receive a certificate, a CPE identification card and a CPE lapel pin.
o Is my certification good for life or does it expire?
You must earn at least eight re-certification credits every five years. Five of those
credits come simply from being continuously employed in the facilities engineering field.
o Who governs the program?
AFE's certification board members, all CPEs or PEs, oversee the program. They are all
leaders in their fields of expertise.
o How do I find out more?
Call AFE — (513) 489-2473 — and speak with Jennifer Gonzalez (ext. 19) or Tonia
Lee (ext. 20). They can provide you with the proper application forms, the Review Pak, and
other information. They also can be contacted by e-mailing jgonzalez@afe.org or tlee@afe.org.
(2) CPE Now Offered in Four Modules
Applicants for AFE’s distinguished, 24-year-old Certified Plant Engineer program now
can elect to pursue the CPE credential the traditional way — learning and being
graded upon the entire, 10-discipline curriculum at once — or in four stages, with
groups of topics at a time. The traditional exam has 100 multiple-choice questions that
cover electrical, civil, mechanical, environmental, maintenance, economics, management,
HVAC, OSHA, controls and instrumentation and energy topics. Applicants have up to eight
hours to complete the exam; a score of 67 is required to pass. A newly credentialed CPE
earns a certificate, a special identification card and a lapel pin. The new option
presents the CPE program in four, equally weighted modules that can be tackled
separately:
(1) civil engineering, economics and management.
(2) environmental engineering, safety and maintenance.
(3) mechanical engineering and HVAC matters.
(4) electrical engineering (which includes the topics controls / instrumentation and
energy).
Applicants who choose the new method earn the title, CPE-in-Training (CPE-IT) as they
successfully complete each step. They have up to five years to complete all of the
modules, then they are fully credentialed CPEs, just like their colleagues who studied and
were tested on all topics at once, Certification Manager Jennifer Gonzalez said. "The
module format was created to make CPE training more accessible to people," Gonzalez
said. "Our certification board identified the need for people to concentrate on
certain areas of the curriculum more than others. With this innovation, some people can
choose to pace themselves more conveniently, and stagger their investment in the
program." No content of the curriculum will be compromised; the knowledge required to
pass in either the traditional or modules format will be the same, Gonzalez said. The
number of questions in each of the modules’ tests may differ from one another, but
not from the traditional test, she said. Eligibility requirements to participate in the
program are unchanged, too. Anyone can participate in CPE training if they:
o Are a degreed engineer (meaning you have a four-year bachelor degree) with six
years of experience in plant/facilities engineering, or four years of management-level
experience in plant/facilities engineering; or
o Don’t have a degree but do have eight years of experience in
plant/facilities engineering or six years of management-level experience in it. (Note: If
you are a licensed Professional Engineer you are exempt from the exam but still must
submit documentation to AFE to be awarded the CPE designation.)
As in the past, applicants can attend a CPE review course and be tested under proctored
conditions at their workplaces or at one of AFE’s events.
To maintain the credential, a CPE must earn at least eight re-certification credits
every five years. Five of those credits come simply from being continuously employed in
the facilities engineering field.
Since 1976, AFE has awarded the CPE credential to over 4,500 people. Applications,
review materials, and order forms for the popular new handbook, "Facilities
Operations & Engineering Reference" can be obtained by calling (513) 489-2473 or
contacting Gonzalez at jgonzalez@afe.org.
More information can be obtained from our web page, www.afe.org,
also.
"Clearly, our CPE program is the standard-bearer for success in the facilities
engineering field," Certification Board Chairman Emeritus Richard M. Sovic, PE, CPE,
REM, said. "We hope that in the long run, more and more busy professionals will be
able to participate in it now that the four-part modules system has been
established." The modules system does not apply to AFE’s newer credential
program, Certified Plant Maintenance Manager.
(3) About the CPMM Program:
AFE's Certified Plant Maintenance Manager (CPMM) Program has been created to provide a
standard of professional competence for maintenance managers and to enhance the status of
this field as a unique discipline and profession. It is built on the success of the CPE
(Certified Plant Engineer) program, which has certified over 4,000 professionals since its
inception. The CPMM review program has been developed to assist candidates in preparing
for the CPMM exam. Review sessions, scheduled in two- and four- hour segments, will be
held over a four-day period. The CPMM exam is scheduled for the fifth day of the program.
Candidates may take the exam at this time or schedule it for a later date. The exam/filing
fee is included in the registration cost. Each of the sessions will review the general
principles for a maintenance management discipline as addressed on the exam, with an
opportunity to work through sample questions with instructors. Sessions are designed to be
interactive; questions are encouraged. The registration fee includes the exam and filing
fee, the CPMM review pak, and a list of suggested review textbooks. If after participating
in the CPE review program, an individual does not achieve a passing score on the exam, the
re-take fee will be waived.
Eligibility:
To be eligible to sit for the CPMM exam, you must currently be working as a maintenance
supervisor or manager or have at least five or more years of experience in the maintenance
management field. Individuals with five or more years of experience in plant engineering,
facilities engineering, maintenance management, or related and/or equivalent employment
will be eligible to take the exam at a Maintenance Management Certification site at any
time without registering for the entire training/certification package. Eligibility is
confirmed by submitting a preliminary application to AFE.
How to Apply:
Application for the CPMM designation involves a two step process. First, a simple
preliminary application is submitted to determine if the individual is eligible to be
certified. This form will be faxed to you upon registration for the review program. If you
are eligible, a more extensive final application form and verification forms for
employment and qualifications will be sent to you with a confirmation letter. If you are
not qualified, we will notify you and immediately refund your money. Final exam grades are
not released until all paperwork is complete.
CPMM Review Descriptions
Maintenance Management
Addresses the goals and objectives for maintenance organizations. Reviews the steps of
evolution from reactive to proactive maintenance. The review includes maintenance
organizational structures, job roles and responsibilities, calculating the proper staffing
levels for the organization and how to measure organizational performance.
Preventive Maintenance
Reviews the fundamental objectives of preventive maintenance. Includes the benefits of
preventive maintenance, the types of preventive maintenance activities, how to schedule
preventive maintenance activities, and concludes with key performance indicators for
preventive maintenance programs.
Inventory and Procurement
Reviews the fundamentals of maintenance inventory and purchasing. Addresses how to
establish good inventory and procurement practices, organizing stores to support
maintenance, developing stores locations, designing purchasing controls to best serve
maintenance needs, establishing proper accounting policies, and how to insure that the
stores and procurement functions are cost effective.
Work Orders - Work Flow / Planning and Scheduling
Addresses the maintenance controls required to support an effective work order system.
Reviews data required by work orders, some basic features of work orders, and reports that
should be used to track work order effectiveness. The session also reviews maintenance
planning and scheduling techniques, and the organizational disciplines to be successful.
CMMS
Reviews the goals for computerizing maintenance. Addresses the specification, selection
and implementation process for successfully computerizing maintenance management. Reviews
the requirements for utilizing a CMMS to ensure full benefits are derived from the
investment.
Training and Work Cultures
Reviews the current state of maintenance workforces. Addresses the steps necessary to
develop a comprehensive maintenance training and development process. Reviews pay for
skill / knowledge programs and discusses common options. The review also addresses current
maintenance work cultures and how to initiate effective changes. The review concludes with
common problems for maintenance training and suggested solutions.
Predictive Maintenance
Addresses predictive maintenance techniques, discussing application of the popular
techniques and the derived benefits. Reviews common problems and solutions for each of the
techniques mentioned. The review concludes with a review of how to insure the right levels
of PDM activities.
Reliability Centered Maintenance
Reviews the concept of Reliability Centered Maintenance and its application in maintenance
management. Addresses common terms, including reliability and maintainability. Addresses
the function of RCM, how to perform root cause analysis and failure and effect mode
analysis.
Total Productive Maintenance
Reviews the objective of Total Productive Maintenance, what TPM is and what TPM isn't.
Reviews operator involvement, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, and common sense approaches
to implementing TPM. Addresses organizational, personnel and technical issues for TPM.
Maintenance Financials and ROI
Reviews the common areas of cost benefits from improving maintenance, including labor
efficiencies, materials management, energy savings, and equipment availability saving.
Addresses how to present financial benefits of maintenance to upper management. The review
concludes with an overview of benchmarking and its application in maintenance.
CPMM Review Session Schedule
Day 1
8 a.m.-noon Maintenance Management
1-3 p.m. Maintenance Financials and ROI
3-5 p.m. Preventive Maintenance
Day 2
8-10 a.m. Inventory and Procurement
10 a.m.-noon Work Orders-Work Flow
1-3 p.m. Planning and Scheduling
3-5 p.m. CMMS
Day 3
8 a.m.-noon Predictive Maintenance
1-5 p.m. Reliability Centered Maintenance
Day 4
8 a.m.-noon Training and Work Cultures
1-5 p.m. Total Productive Maintenance
Day 5
8 a.m.-5 p.m. CPMM Exam
(Note: This schedule is subject to change due to instructor availability. The final
schedule will be included in registration confirmation.)
CPMM Exam:
CPMM Review Program participants are invited to take the CPMM exam at the conclusion of
the program. The comprehensive multiple choice exam addresses the breath of specialized
knowledge required for success in the field of maintenance management. The exam consists
of the following 10 sections: maintenance management , preventive maintenance, inventory
and procurement, work orders - work flow / planning and scheduling, CMMS, training and
work cultures, predictive maintenance, reliability centered maintenance, total productive
maintenance, maintenance financials and ROI.
Up to eight hours are allotted for this open-book exam. Any reference book may be used
during the exam, except for the CPMM review pack. Reference books are not provided. Scores
are not released until all paperwork and fees are submitted.
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