EMS program manager certification is not just for program managers.

While in eight years’ time more than 100 staff from about 50 EMS companies have attained IPC Electronics Manufacturing Services Program Manager Certification (the exam pass rate averages 75 to 78%), not all those certified are program managers. Operations, quality, materials, business development and engineering managers have all chosen to pursue certification. In a few cases, company presidents have even gone through the program. This month, I decided to probe a little deeper into those trends to understand the reasons why non-program managers would pursue certification, and also to see if the certification program had proven valuable during uncertain economic times.

Paul Forker, VP business development at Quality Production (qpl-ems.com), originally went to get a better understanding of the value of the course to QPL. He was certified in 2007 and has been sending QPL’s program management team to subsequent courses. “From 2005 to now, we’ve almost tripled in size,” he said. “There are a variety of ways to structure EMS business processes, and going through the course has given me a better perspective on best practices. As we’ve evolved as a company, I’ve gone back to the textbooks and my notes in developing business processes and defining program management responsibilities.”

Forker also mentioned training has helped him navigate the uncertain economy. “I’ve also gone back to the textbooks to look at best practices for dealing with issues such as excess inventory mitigation and contract terminology. I feel I have better visibility into risk management in terms of contracts and scheduling from the classes. In the past year, the economy has driven me to apply more of the skills I’ve learned in the program than at any time previously. I also feel we’ve achieved the best possible outcome in all the issues we’ve resolved. A lot of that has been because of the proactive communication focus that was emphasized in the certification program.”

Forker felt whether the program would be valuable for other non-program managers would vary based on the person’s responsibilities. “For me, the value came in being exposed to strategic issues and the range of EMS business models. Since we are a smaller EMS company, I’ve been fairly tactically focused. However, for a non-program manager who is strategically focused, the value might be in gaining a better understanding of the tactical challenges faced by program management teams.” Forker said QPL views sending program managers through the program as an investment.

Teri MacDonald, VP business development at Key Electronics (keyelectronics.com), pursued certification because program management reports through sales. Earlier in her career she was a program manager and also worked in materials-related areas.

“I felt the class was very beneficial and gave a good understanding of how EMS companies are run,” she said. “I think having a CEPM after my name adds credibility in my sales calls, particularly when I’m dealing with technical staff because it tells them that I’m not simply a salesperson. They recognize I understand the complexity of the service that I represent. It lets them know that I understand their challenges and what it will take to deliver a solution.”

MacDonald said the classes strengthened some of her skills and has given Key Electronics’ program management team a better picture of the total company. “Although I was a business major in college, I always felt accounting was simply numbers on spreadsheets. The accounting section of the certification program helped drive home the fact that balance sheets and P&L statements are more than numbers. Properly read, they tell you a lot about the health of a company and emerging trends. I also think the ability to understand the total company and how its processes all work together has been good for our team.”

Andrew Boyd, quality manager at Camtek, Inc. (camtek-mfg.com), attributed his company’s participation in the course to their president. “Our president felt that the body of knowledge of the course was valuable. The program management function in our company is focused differently from other EMS companies, and it gave us the ability to understand how others do it.”

Boyd also felt he got practical knowledge from the program. “The contracts section was most valuable to me. The importance of due diligence in getting contractual issues resolved prior to project start was a valuable lesson. We were flat in 2009 and saw a huge uptick in orders in early 2010. We’ve faced the same materials allocation issues everyone else has seen. The skills we learned helped us discuss the issues with customers, reach agreements and work toward mutually acceptable solutions. One of the valuable points in class was that in an EMS relationship, both the customers and the EMS provider have responsibilities,” he added.

Boyd also saw value in the broadness of the program. “While I gained better understanding of the business side of the equation from the program, many of our program managers got a better understanding of the manufacturing side from the courses. The range of topics covered ensures there are learning opportunities for just about everyone,” he said.

CEPM training has four components:

• Introduction to the EMS Industry and Program Management, a 1.5 day offsite training class that covers the basic elements of program management, account acquisition and program launch, account cultivation and expectation setting, basic manufacturing process overview and industry best practices.
• EMS Training I, a self-paced Internet-based segment, provides students with access to packaged basic courses on team leadership, program management tools, decision making, project cost and quality management, project risk and procurement management, financial statements and analysis, budgeting, relationship management, supply chain management and commercial contracts.
• EMS Training II, a two-day offsite training class that covers operations management, EMS-specific financial issues and EMS-specific contract issues.
• EMS Leadership Training, a two-day offsite training program codeveloped by IPC and Penn State University and taught by Penn State Management Development faculty that includes leadership challenges of the future, effective communication practices, conflict resolution and dealing with difficult people.

The certification program includes a multiple choice certification exam. Candidates start the process by submitting an application that lists formal education and EMS-specific experience. Program managers meeting the application experience requirements, taking the training and passing the certification exam are certified for four years and may continue to recertify by documenting continuing EMS-industry experience and education. Program details are available at ipc.org/emscert.

Ed.: Mucha helped develop the IPC CEPM.

Susan Mucha is president of Powell-Mucha Consulting Inc. (www.powell-muchaconsulting.com), and author of Find It. Book It. Grow It. A Robust Process for Account Acquisition in Electronics Manufacturing Services; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .