International Maintenance Association (IMA)
ABOUT IMA
Since 2009, IMA has been the global home of maintenance, reliability, and asset management.
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A non-profit professional body headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland — connecting more than 20 countries across five continents through standards, research, and a worldwide community of practitioners, researchers and institutions.
Who we are
The International Maintenance Association (IMA) was founded on 6 September 2013 in Lugano, Switzerland, following a unanimous resolution at the World Maintenance Forum — known as the Lugano Declaration. Our founding members, drawn from universities, research institutes, and industry across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, set IMA on a single mission: to be the global platform for knowledge exchange in effective maintenance practice and management.
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More than a decade later, our membership has grown to span 20+ countries on five continents. Our Advisory Board comprises 34 senior practitioners, professors, and standards leaders from the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia. We are a recognised Swiss non-profit, governed under Swiss law from our office in Montagnola, Lugano.
IMA Mission Vision Goals
Our mission is to support and empower professionals in maintenance, reliability, and asset management worldwide. We do this through three commitments.
First: convene — through the World Maintenance Forum, regional events, and the IMA Community, we create gatherings where the global profession meets, debates, and aligns. Second: codify — through research, standards work, and frameworks like the IMA Maintenance Maturity Model (IMM3), we turn fragmented best practice into evidence-based reference points the industry can build on. Third: certify — through structured education, training partnerships, and certification frameworks, we strengthen recognized competency across the maintenance workforce globally.
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Our vision is a future where maintenance and reliability are recognized as strategic pillars of organizational success, sustainability, and resilience — not cost centers to be minimized, but value engines to be optimized.
Strategic priorities 2026–2028
Get to Know Us
IMA's three-year strategic plan (2026–2028) is anchored by four priorities.
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Publish the Global Maintenance Certification Standards Study — the first structured global mapping of maintenance certification frameworks, presented at WMF2026 in Genoa.
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Expand the IMA Community across Asia-Pacific and Latin America through regional chapters and partner institutions.
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Establish the GMIR as the recognised annual benchmark for the state of maintenance, reliability, and asset management worldwide.
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Deepen institutional partnerships with universities and standards bodies to position maintenance as a recognised academic and professional discipline.
Why join IMA
Knowledge that you can cite, share, and apply. Members receive priority access to IMA's research catalogue, including the Global Maintenance Intelligence Report (GMIR) and the IMM3 Maintenance Maturity Model — frameworks used by practitioners and academics in over 30 countries.
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Networks that move your career and your organization forward. Direct access to IMA's 34-member Advisory Board, our chapter network across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and the annual World Maintenance Forum — where the people who set global maintenance standards meet for two days each year.
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Recognition in a globally aligned profession. Member badge, eligibility to contribute to standards working groups, speaking opportunities at IMA events, and recognition through IMA Awards. Your credentials travel with you internationally.
Governance & Credibility
IMA is a registered Swiss non-profit (Associazione, Swiss Civil Code), headquartered at Via dei Gilardi 15, 6926 Montagnola, Lugano, Switzerland.
Our governance comprises an elected Chairman, a six-member Executive Committee, three standing Committees (Finance and Regulation, Communication and Networking, Technical), and a 34-member international Advisory Board. We operate as a non-commercial, non-political, non-religious organisation under the neutrality principles of Switzerland.
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Our institutional partners include OMAINTEC (the Arab Asset, Facility and Maintenance Management Council), SAFMMA (Saudi Arabia), the University of Genoa (host of WMF2026), SUPSI, Cranfield University, and Rutgers University, among others.
JOIN NOW
Three ways to engage with IMA today
GET MEMBERSHIP TODAY
Join as an individual member — From CHF 75/year. Knowledge, network, and recognition for your career.
PARTNER WITH IMA
Partner with us as an organization — Corporate membership from CHF 1,000/year. For consultancies, technology providers, industrial groups, and academic institutions seeking influence and visibility in the global maintenance community.
FLAGSHIP EVENT WMF
Attend the World Maintenance Forum 2026 — 2–3 September, University of Genoa, Italy. The premier global gathering for maintenance leadership and research.