Asset Reliability Practitioner® [ARP-A]: Reliability Advocate

Whether you are new to reliability improvement, or you are a manager thinking of starting an initiative, ARP-A: Reliability Advocate is the best way to begin the reliability journey.

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Where are you on the journey to reliability improvement? If you are new to the program, or you are interested in learning more so that you can begin a new program at your plant, then the Asset Reliability Practitioner [ARP-A] “Reliability Advocate” course is precisely what you need.

Improving the reliability of physical assets takes far more than just monitoring their condition, improving lubrication practices, and making some improvements to the maintenance department. To have a truly successful program you must understand how to add value to the organization and thus gain senior management support. You must have the support of the entire organization, not just a small group of evangelistic condition monitoring and reliability experts. You must have a coordinated effort between maintenance, operations/production, engineering, finance, and the reliability group – no more silos. And you must follow a strategy that will enable you to build the program, layer upon layer, to achieve milestones and build on success.

Yes, we could simply talk about the common reliability acronyms of RCM, PMO, RCA, and literally dozens of others, but knowing what they mean does not help you implement a successful program.

The ARP-A Reliability Advocate program will provide a holistic view of how to improve reliability and plant performance. It will explain the implementation process and all the essential elements necessary to have a truly successful program.

FREE DEMO: See a preview of the ARP-A course. Included is segments from our instructional videos and a chapter from our comprehensive ARP-A manual. You can access the training demo with your student credentials or create a new account using this link – ARP-A Course Demonstration Link.

Learn more about this course

  • How can I take this course?

    We offer the ultimate flexibility:

    • PUBLIC: You can take the public, instructor-led course with other people like you. You can find a public course here.
    • VIRTUAL: You take the course from the comfort and safety of your computer, with a live instructor guiding you through the course. You can find a virtual course here.
    • ON-SITE: You can invite the instructor to your site and save yourself the cost, hassle, and risk. You can find partners who can deliver the course here.
    • VIDEO: You can have the ultimate in safety and flexibility by watching a video of the course. You can watch it multiple times! You can place your order here.
  • Fast facts

    Duration:

    • 16 hours minimum: Typically delivered over 4 days

    Format:

    • Live public course
    • On-site course
    • Virtual online course
    • Video distance learning online course

    Compliance:

    • Training: modeled on 18436-2 and ISO 18436-3, but there is no ISO standard for reliability personnel certification.
    • Certification: according to ISO/IEC 17024 and modeled on ISO 18436-1
    • Training: ISO 18436-3

    Exam:

    • Two-hours
    • 60 multiple-choice questions
    • 70% passing grade
    • Can be taken online or in-person at the course

    Certification requirements:

    • Training course completed
    • 6-months of work experience, verified by an independent person
    • Pass the exam
    • Valid for 3 years

    Pre-study:

    • Access to the “Learning zone” upon registration and payment
    • Complete set of videos covering every topic
    • An excellent way to be prepared and get the most from the course

    Post-study:

    • Continue to access the Learning zone for 4-months after the course
    • Continue learning, without charge, on Mobius CONNECT® via www.mobiusconnect.com
  • How much detail will we cover?

    We only have three days together, and that includes plenty of time for discussions and case studies, so it is not possible to get into the details of every topic. The goal is to explain what it takes to be successful and how to avoid all the traps that have caused so many programs to fail. Public courses are conducted around the world, but to gain the greatest value, we recommend you invite the instructor to visit your facility and gather the entire team together.

    The course follows the Asset Reliability Transformation® [ART] implementation process; however, it is totally up to you whether you follow our recommended practices.

    After three days, you’ll have a clear understanding of why you should improve reliability and how to implement the successful program. You will also have a much clearer understanding of all the jargon, acronyms, and common elements that make up a reliability or asset management program. Plus, you will be ready to take the exam so that you may be recognized for your knowledge under the Mobius Institute Board of Certification™ [MIBoC] accredited program.

  • A summary of the subjects covered on the ARP-A Reliability Advocate course

    The course begins with a summary of why reliability improvement is so important to the future of an organization. But then it busts the myths associated with reliability improvement and asset management; there are so many misunderstandings in the industry that it is essential to get everyone on the same page so you avoid the common traps.

    Next, we provide an overview of the implementation process: how to get started, how to gain senior management support, how to change the reliability culture so behaviors change, how to break out of the reactive maintenance cycle of doom, and how to establish a sustainable reliability improvement initiative. If you already have a program, you will learn how to assess its progress and re-focus and re-energize your program.

    More than one day is spent on the common technical elements of reliability improvement. You will feel comfortable with defect elimination, the asset strategy (including Reliability Centered Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance Optimization, and Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis), the asset criticality ranking, Pareto analysis, precision maintenance, and asset care, operator driven reliability, condition-based maintenance and all of the common technologies, lubrication best practices and contamination control, precision shaft alignment and rotor balancing, and root cause analysis. Yes, there are a lot of topics, but with our unique simulations and animations, you will be amazed at how confident you will feel with the subjects once you’ve completed the course.

    Between the discussions, lessons, case studies, and polling (so you can make sure you understand what you think you understood), you will come away with a totally new perspective on how to improve reliability and performance in your organization.

  • Course Agenda

    The following lists the topics covered on the ARP-A Reliability Advocate training class

    • GETTING STARTED
      • What is a reliable plant?
    • WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
    • INTRODUCTION TO IMPLEMENTATION
      • Process overview
      • Comparison of strategies
      • The Asset Reliability Transformation [ART] process
      • Asset management and ISO 55000
    • ASSESSING THE VALUE
      • Why improve reliability
      • Current performance and cost
      • Measuring progress
    • SELLING SENIOR MANAGEMENT
      • Selling the benefits
      • Pilot projects
    • STRATEGY
      • Planning, mission, support, mission establishing the team
      • The Asset Reliability Transformation [ART] process
    • PLANTWIDE ENGAGEMENT
      • Human error and psychology
      • Culture change
      • Employee feedback
      • The brown-paper engagement process
    • GETTING MAINTENANCE UNDER CONTROL
      • Breaking out of the reactive maintenance cycle of doom
    • DEFECT ELIMINATION
      • Design for reliability
      • Value-driven procurement
      • Reliability-focused transport
      • Acceptance testing
    • UNDERSTANDING FAILURE
      • What is failure?
    • ASSET STRATEGY
      • Condition Based Maintenance (CBM), Run to failure (RTF)
      • Getting organized (Master Asset List, Bill of Material)
      • Developing a strategy
      • Analyzing reliability data
      • Asset criticality ranking
      • Preventative Maintenance Optimization (PMO)
      • Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)
      • Failure odes Effects Analysis (FMEA)
      • Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA)
    • WORK MANAGEMENT
      • Work management flow
      • Strategy based work and work requests
      • Establishing a priority system
      • Processing requests
      • Job planning, scheduling, and execution
      • Commissioning
      • Closeout and feedback
    • SPARES MANAGEMENT
      • Databases
      • Access control
      • Selection process
      • Caring for spares
    • PRECISION WORK
      • Precision installation, alignment, balancing, fastening
      • Resonance elimination
      • 5S in the workshop
    • PROACTIVE ASSET CARE
      • Precision lubrication
      • Operations
      • 5s and the visual workplace
    • CONDITION MONITORING
      • Vibration analysis
      • Ultrasound
      • Electric motor diagnostic testing
      • Oil analysis
      • Wear particle analysis
      • Infrared analysis
      • Visual inspections
      • Performance monitoring
      • Non-destructive testing (NDT)
    • CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
      • Key Performance Indications (KPIs)
      • Review program strategy
      • Continual education
  • The ARP-A Reliability Advocate certification process

    In order to be certified you must:

    • Complete a MIBoC approved training course (click here for a list of approved courses).
    • Achieve 70% or higher on the exam (60 multiple choice questions, duration 2 hours).
    • You must have a minimum of six (6) months of work experience in the industry involved in some way with reliability improvement, verified by an independent person.

    Certification is valid for 3 years.

    You can learn more about the certification process here or download our ARP Certification Guide here.

  • What will I be capable of once I complete the course?

    In short, you will have a solid understanding of the “big picture” of the reliability improvement process.

    As a manager thinking of starting a new initiative (or reviving an existing one)

    • You will understand the key ingredients of running a successful program:
      • Defining value
      • Gaining senior management support
      • Having a detailed strategy
      • Developing a motivated reliability culture
    • You will see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together
    • How the technical elements support the overall business goal

    As a person who is new to “reliability improvement” you will gain:

    • A detailed understanding of the business case
    • A detailed understanding of the “big picture” of reliability and performance improvement
    • A solid understanding of the technical aspects, along with all the reliability, maintenance, and CBM technologies, techniques, and jargon
    • The ability to contribute to an existing program
    • Motivation and be re-energized to get involved and play your role
  • Maximizing the value of the training: don't stop with ARP-A

    Here is something to think about. The ARP-A Reliability Advocate course is an excellent way to get up to speed about reliability, especially when starting a new program. Many organizations have found it beneficial to have it delivered on-site so that a range of personnel can attend from the maintenance department, operations/production, finance, safety/health/environment, engineering, and even other departments – including the plant manager. The course gets everyone up to speed and on the same wavelength.

    But the big question you must ask is; what happens next?

    The course is beneficial, but if no one else is educated/trained, if there is not a strategy to move forward that everyone understands and believes in, if people don’t know how they can contribute to the initiative, then unfortunately, you may not gain the greatest benefit from the course.

    • First, we have the ARP-L “Reliability Program Leader” course for the person/people who will lead the initiative, and the ARP-E “Reliability Engineer” course for the people who will engineer the technical aspects of the initiative. The ARP-A course is great, but it is just the start of the journey.
    • Second, we have developed the Asset Reliability Transformation [ART] process with a roadmap that explains how to implement the strategy to achieve the best results. It is filled with the phases, steps, and recommended practices to guide you through the implementation process. It includes a training plan that gets everyone up to speed, pulling in the same direction, and skilled/qualified to play their role. iLearnReliability™ will help you with the plant-wide educational process.
    • And if you need help with the roll-out, and/or the training component, we have Partners around the world who can help you with whatever you need.
  • Do you offer a free demo?

    YES!

    FREE DEMO: See a preview of the ARP-A course. Included is segments from our instructional videos and a chapter from our comprehensive ARP-A manual. You can access the training demo with your student credentials or create a new account using this link – ARP-A Course Demonstration Link.

  • Do you offer unlimited learning access?

    Yes, learn forever with Mobius Institute “Life Long Learning”. Receive access to video trainings for a lifetime as a past, present, and future Mobius Institute student. As a student you can continue to access the training videos.  Regardless of whether you attend a public course or an onsite course or purchased an online distance learning. For a nominal cost of the equivalent distance learning course fee, past, present, and future Mobius Institute vibration students can continue to access the training videos forever. To upgrade either select the option – Life Long Learning Upgrade using this link – Life Long Learning Upgrade Link or contact your training partner directly.

  • Frequently Asked Questions

    We have developed a long list of Frequently Asked Questions on the ARP “Home page”. Please click the button below and scroll to the bottom of the page.

    ARP Frequently Asked Questions