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Values First Scores with Semicon
Apps Growing demand for miniaturized components from
semiconductor factories meant getting the recipes right at the production
line had become a necessity. As factories battled with manual or
semi-automatic processes, Values First Consulting Sdn Bhd developed
RecipePLANT 2001 to speed up integration of semiconductor equipment, thus
saving companies millions of dollars in material, rework and on-time
delivery to customers.
RecipePLANT provides centralized recipe
management services for different equipment types and reduces yield loss
and scrap while improving process monitoring and control.
According to company president and chief technical officer Dr Tan
Seow Hwee the enterprise wide system allows users to have total control
over recipes used for each product. The system can also interface with
existing station controllers to communicate with the
equipment.
Values First recently secured a multi-million ringgit
project for RecipePLANT at a wafer fab facility in Asia with several other
test and assembly plants in Malaysia and Taiwan indicating "strong"
interest in the product. Tan declined to name the parties
involved.
He pointed out that manufacturers are becoming
increasingly aware that communication speed, effective modes of data
collection and automated production control are critical to info-based
manufacturing activity.
"We might live in the age of distributed
technologies and Internet connectivity but the industry -- which is
responsible for creating leading edge products -- still clings to
conventional mode of automation as it is proven and reliable," he said,
adding that newer applications available today are capable of predicting
equipment failure.
Steady Growth
Two years ago, the
Penang-based company received a RM686,000 (US$181,000) award from the
Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Research and Grant Scheme to speed up the
development of ObjectTool, a pack of four modules for recipe management,
event reporting, equipment performance checking and equipment
modeling.
"We have not actively marketed the other three modules as
we feel they are ahead of their time. We also noticed that some US
companies do offer similar products but the pick up rate is slow. And we
realize that in Asia, [companies] tend to stick to the traditional
approach to equipment integration. It might take another year or two
before there is real change."
Other products available from Values
First are ObjectSECS, a SECS development package based on the well
established SEMI equipment communications protocol, and CellMap2001, an
intuitive cell controller software for inkless wafer mapping capable of
managing the supply chain. Both products are widely used at semicon
factories here. CellMap has been expanded to include several other
products for a complete inkless manufacturing solution known as the
Inkless Suite.
Values First, set up 1997, has been profitable in
the last three years and more recently recorded a 100% year-on-year
increase in revenues. As it gains regional recognition coupled with
growing demand, sales from abroad are expected to grow by 40%. Presently,
90% of its earnings are secured locally.
by Anita
Matthews
Websites:
Values First: http://www.values1.com
(October 2002 Issue, Nikkei
Electronics Asia)
Copyright (c)
1996-2002, Nikkei Business Publications Asia Ltd,
Nikkei Business
Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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