(ITA -1997)Industrial engineering: Getting more ou

(ITA - 1997)

Industrial engineering: Getting more out of hat you've got

The semiconductor industry has been engaged in a headlong race to make (I), (II), (III) chips for so long that the time has come for companies to take a step back and re-examine their basic needs to embrace another path to achieving increased output without relying solely on new and costly process flows.

Old paths have driven the industry into an expensive rut. Many manufacturers believe that the only MEANS to greater production capacity is augmenting the old with the new. Virtually all of the world's LEADING semiconductor companies are building new fabs to satisfy projected demand, DESPITE CONCERNS ABOUT MONTHLY BOOK/BIL_L RATIOS. This multibillion-dollar building frenzy could be significantly reduced. If the companies had done as much industrial engineering as market research before beginning fab construction, they might have found that their present facilities could meet much more of the anticipated demand. (...)

Industrial engineering uses data gathered and analyzed from diverse areas of manufacturing, including staffing, plant layout, equipment utilization, and work flow. This complex procedure is made painless by sophisticated analysis software.
Although proven to be an excellent manufacturing strategy, surprisingly few US or European IC manufacturers are using established industrial engineering principles. Those who have, however, have become true believers due to the gratifying results.

Industrial engineering and productivity management have become critical steps in our industry. It is no longer enough just to buy another tool or build another fab. It takes too long and it costs too much. The time and capital resources saved will confirm the value of industrial engineering.

In this way, the industry will travel a new course to achieving increased output without paying the high price of technological advances. It simply comes down to wise management. Industrial engineering allows full use of available resources, to get more out of what you've already got.

by Eli Pelleg - president of Tefen USA. Adapted from Solid State Technology - June 1996, p. 271-272.

Uma outra forma de se escrever o trecho "...despite concerns about monthly book/bill ratios", em maiúsculo, no segundo parágrafo do texto é: