Last February 28, I had the opportunity to speak before the members of the senior mechanical engineering class, and lower classmen, of the Technological University of the Philippines, during their Academic Enhancement Seminar II held at the IRTC Bldg Conference Hall in their Manila campus. The experience inspired me to write this article, the contents of which was mostly culled from the talk given, and with the view of sharing this message (from a 40 year practitioner) with a larger student audience.
The talk gave me, once again, an opportunity to share some of the learnings gained as a young practitioner of the mechanical engineering profession, particularly in the manufacturing field, the gist of which is as follows: a) That it is advantageous for one to have a broad idea of the organization one is joining; b) that no matter what task one is given, and no matter how far down the totem pole one is located, the successful execution of his/her task would definitely impact similarly to the company as a whole; and, c) that what impacts on the company would also impact similarly on the individual, particularly his/her career.
Also shared with the students were my views regarding the role of the filipino mechanical engineers in the field of manufacturing, which were stated in three points: a) First, is that the filipino mechanical engineers are given the prerogative, through the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Law or R.A. 8495, to manage, supervise, tend or maintain any mechanical equipment, machinery or processes in mechanical works, projects or plants; b) Second is that they are, by virtue of their education and training, in a better position to ensure the economical and proper erection/installation, testing and commissioning of manufacturing facilities and utilities, and at the same time minimize risk to life and property; and c) Third is that of being an agent of improvisation and innovation, given their acquired ability to relate to, understand, unlock and explain the intricacies of mechanism and processes. This can bring about a differential performance from an existing setup or process which can radically enhance the competitive advantage of a manufacturing organization.
Shared also with them during my talk was my personal take on the future of the Philippine mechanical engineering profession – their future profession, and which I’m partly quoting here as follows:
“I believe that we, Filipino mechanical engineers (which would include you, in due time), are the masters of our future. Our profession will rise or fall depending on how the majority of us will value and respect this profession, and by the way we conduct and develop ourselves not only as professionals but also as individuals. First of all, our values should be such that each one of us would extract from those that we deal with, whether on a personal or professional level, the respect and recognition deserving of a professional. Each one [of us] should be recognized as someone with a word of honor, honesty, integrity, and who respects what is right and lawful. These virtues must go together with unassailable engineering knowledge and skills that one professes to know. Furthermore, we must always put high value on the trust and confidence given to us by the person or organization that we give service to, or work for. To be candid about it, I think that, by and large, our profession is neglected, abused, underestimated, and perhaps to a certain extent, even ignored. I would also dare to say that this condition has been unwisely imposed on the profession by the mechanical engineers themselves…”
The last two sentences of the quote were premised on the fact that the profession has a very strong foundation in R.A. 8495, or the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Act of 1998, and the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Code. But we practitioners seem to have been, in general, remiss in practising or implementing what these two documents specify, as borne by the widespread violation of both the ME Law and the ME Code by individuals as well as companies. Perhaps, if only practitioners were adamant in implementing what these documents dictate, our profession would be in a better state than it is in now, and our manufacturing industries would probably be better off; and I would even dare to say that under such an environment, most legitimate mechanical engineers would not only be having a vibrant practice but would be better compensated as well.
However, as a good note, there is now ongoing what I would like to term “a wind of change” in the profession,
in the sense that the strict implementation of RA 8495 has been taken up as a serious advocacy by both the Board of Mechanical Engineering (BME) and the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME). This effort is snowballing - as widespread effort is ongoing in the National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao where aside from the educational campaigns being undertaken by the chapters, reports of non-compliance are already being investigated by the BME which has even sued building officials with the Ombudsman. In addition, legal teams are even being formed to do legal action against violators of RA 8495.
It seems that, given what is currently happening, the future looks better for the profession. However, things will not just happen for the practitioners. They will have to work for what they think is a just and fair stature for the profession. And once they succeed, they can’t just stop and say it’s done, because just like a machine, its ideal condition has to be properly maintained through vigilance in developing themselves into competent, virtuous, productive and well rounded mechanical engineers, who will also take the lead in getting the R.A. 8495 and the ME Code strictly implemented and followed.
Now, what should the ME students or future Mechanical Engineers do, to prepare for their practice of the profession? I have three pieces of advice:
The first advice is for you to have a Vision for yourself this early. In other words, what you want to be 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years from now, etc. Come up with a plan –yes, this early – to bring your vision to reality.
On my first year in college, our professor addressed us in our class as the future general managers of industries and businesses. We took it as a joke then, as we never realized that the professor’s casual statement was backed by experience and wisdom. A big portion of our class ended up as managers, chief engineers, vice presidents, general managers and even presidents of their respective organizations. Others even went on to become successful entrepreneurs, managing their own businesses. Your being on top or near the top of the totem pole in your future organizations 20, 30 years from now is not farfetched, so optimize your opportunities by having a vision of what you would want to be, this early, and craft a program of action that you would implement to realize this vision. Prepare this early for the opportunity that would pass by you.
The second advice is for you to continually improve and expand your Technical and Behavioural Competencies.
I am reminded of a quote given to our senior class by my professor, Dean Emeritus Domingo S. Mendoza. He even required us to write it down at the back of our text book. It was also the only quote we heard from him, and it goes something like this: “The student in his lifetime will receive two educations, one from his teacher, and the other from himself”. He was at that time admonishing us to practice “continual improvement”, as we term it now; an attitude that each one of you should adopt and practice.
First of all, we mechanical engineers are expected to be technically competent, as this is what really defines us. What we learn in school are just the basic knowledge that will help us easily and speedily develop the high level of understanding and skill regarding the machinery and processes of the organization that we join. In other words, it is your personal responsibility, after engineering school to grow and hone to perfection this competence. Included in this responsibility is the need to learn, develop and refine one’s managerial skills. This we should do and in the process, refrain from being trapped in a “smokestack” development mode, where one continuous to raise his technical skill but is limited/restricted to a narrow coverage. What should be adopted instead is a continual development program that would increase ones technical capability both in terms of depth and scope, so that its growth form would be that of an inverted cone, instead of a cylinder. It should also be a growth that should transcend the limits of technical capability.
The latest techniques and processes applicable in the Manufacturing Industry should also be familiarized with, if not learned, as these are the tools that could tremendously help a mechanical engineer to be effective, especially in a manufacturing environment. Such techniques, which you should and can learn by yourself, if you are presently unaware, are the following: a) The Toyota Production System (TPS) or its western equivalent Lean Manufacturing. These systems focus on waste elimination and the improvement of quality, b) Total Quality Management (TQM) which preaches that quality should be the responsibility of each and every member of the organization. This can be achieved by developing a culture which would enable the “supplier” to comply with the specs of the “customer”, either internal or external, c) Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) which preaches that each and every member of the organization should be responsible for the maintenance of machinery, equipment and other resources. This can be done through the execution of the 8 Pillars of the system as well as the use of the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) in measuring the performance of a manufacturing operation, d) Sustainability, e) Kaizen. The Japanese system of gradual but continuous improvement which includes among others the following practices: 5S, Suggestion Systems, Small Group Activity (SGA), Quality Circle, Visual Management, etc., f) Balanced Scorecard, g) ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Management System, h) ISO 14001:2004 Environment Management System, i) ISO 50001 Energy Management System, j) Attuned to the advancement in and proficiency in the use of Information and Technology Tools (ICT), and k) familiarization with new generation electronic control systems..
In addition, you must learn and develop the proficiency in practising management, or scientific management, because being graduate engineers, you would almost surely soon find yourself supervising or managing a unit or group.
To succeed in the practice of our profession, being just technically competent is not sufficient. One must also have behavioural competence. The following will have to be developed, expanded as well as refined and polished: leadership skills, human relations, communication skills, administrative skills, as well as other soft skills (e.g. etiquette, dress code familiarity, proper table manners, etc.).
If I may echo the advice of the 2009-2010 PSME National President Eng’r. Renato A. Florencio to the new mechanical engineers who had their oath taking last year, he advised them to make it a point as part of their growth plan to join a “Toastmaster’s Club” to develop their public speaking ability, and to increase their network by joining organizations like the Jaycees, Rotary, Lions, of course the PSME, etc.
The third advice is for you to strengthen yourself professionally by strengthening your profession.
Once you start your practice, do not think only of yourself but also of the profession, so that your focus will not be only your self interest, but also the interest of those that would also benefit from the organization you belong to. If you show proficiency and effectiveness as well as compliance to ethical standards in the practice of the profession, you shall surely be plus factor for your organization and a strengthening factor for the profession.
Get involved this early in the affairs of the profession, and I admonish not only the senior but also lower level mechanical engineering students to do so. There are now various efforts, using various media, to improve the communications amongst the members of the mechanical engineering community – one of which is the PSME website, http://psmenow.org/. Get involved this early. Take advantage of the opportunity to have your “voices” heard. React to issues that affect the profession. Present your thoughts and ideas about what you think the profession should look into to enable it to cope with the current and future demands of the community that it is serving. Help in the effort to “...develop and nurture [the profession’s practitioners into] competent, virtuous, productive and well rounded mechanical engineers whose standard of professional practice and service shall be excellent, qualitative, world-class and globally competitive...” so that we can forge a vibrant mechanical engineering profession as well as live up to the country’s expectation of us as partners in “...nation building and development”.
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