The Dearborn-based Society of Manufacturing Engineers announced that it had signed an agreement to partner with Engineering Management Certification International, a certification program that both facilitates and maintains competence in engineering management among qualified engineers, scientists and technologists. This new collaboration continues the creation of unifying a standard for this in-demand certification.

Effective July 15, closed its Certified Engineering Manager certification and merged it with the EMCI program. All previously SME-certified CEM’s will become certified through the Engineering Management Certification Fundamentals or Engineering Management Certification Professional designation. The EMCI program will also align SME with other leading engineering and management associations, which include founding partners
ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), ASEM (American Society of Engineering Management), AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) and AIME (The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers).

SME’s announcement comes after a thorough comparison of its own CEM program and the EMCI program. Strong synergies between the programs were identified, and SME determined that by merging its program with EMCI it could provide its members and customers with a more powerful, widely accepted credential that is highly endorsed by other engineering societies. Said SME Executive Director and General Manager Mark C. Tomlinson: “SME frequently collaborates with other engineering societies to develop the most beneficial results for members and customers. In that spirit, we are pleased to announce this partnership.”

Tomlinson also reassured those currently holding the CEM credential, “that the merger of the CEM and EMCI programs will provide a more perfect union of SME’s strengths with those of the founding organizations. Members will also find that the EMCI program offers a more robust curriculum and therefore, a greater body of knowledge.”

To complement this announcement and ease the transition between the certifications, all current CEM holders will be notified by letter throughout July and August. Notifications will also be posted online at both www.sme.org, www.asme.org and www.engineeringcertification.org. For more information, call SME at (800) 733-4763 or ASME at (212) 591-8463.