The Automation Federation and IMS to develop an International Automation Competency Model Network

The Automation Federation (AF) has announced that the AF board of directors has approved the participation of AF as project leader for a new manufacturing technology project within the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) program. The purpose of this project is to develop an international network through which the Automation Competency Model (ACM), developed by AF and the U.S. Department of Labor in 2009, can be disseminated, promulgated, and updated. This network will be called the Automation Competency Model Network (ACMN).

Through the ACMN, partners in non-U.S. IMS Regions and in other countries worldwide will be encouraged to adopt the ACM, adapting it as necessary to local circumstances and using it as the basis for developing training and education curricula as appropriate. This project will operate as an open network, and additional partners from IMS Regions with expertise in automation competencies will be actively encouraged to participate.

Several IMS partners expressed their interest in being part of the ACM Network, and are joining the ACMN project, including Switzerland's University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) Institute CIM for Sustainable Innovation (ICIMSI); Mexico's Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM); and Mexico's government agency, ProMéxico.

Dr. Marco Colla of ICIMSI stated, "We have a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering with courses and a lab on automation, so our interest [in the ACMN] is having a reference for comparing course content, and maybe, in the future, for creating a specialization (or degree) for automation."

Nelson Ninin, 2011 Automation Federation chair, says, "I am pleased that the Intelligent Manufacturing Systems program has aligned itself with the Automation Federation to help promote the Automation Competency Model and the importance the Model holds in enhancing recognition of the automation profession. This project will significantly aid AF in spreading our message about the importance of the automation professional worldwide."

Organizations interested in learning more about or becoming a part of the ACMN, should contact Mike Marlowe, AF managing director/director of government relations, at [email protected].

About IMS

IMS is a global organization supporting R&D innovation within the manufacturing community. IMS has successfully launched the Manufacturing Technology Platform (MTP) program for researchers designed for easier global collaborations for new and on-going research. This efficient "fast track" method helps researchers to form research consortiums rapidly and easily so they can meet the face-paced challenges of today's industrial challenges.

This new program has exceeded expectations with new submissions and strong support at IMS workshops. IMS invites all manufacturing researchers from around the globe to participate in IMS MTP workshops. IMS member regions include the European Union, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, and the U.S..

IMS has been networking researchers from industry, academia, and research institutions for over 15 years from over 30 countries. IMS services are provided at no charge from the IMS member regions for their researchers. Conceptually well ahead of its time, IMS strives to remain relevant to manufacturing research and researchers, and continues to be the only multi-lateral government-supported manufacturing research program.