Towards a metric management approach for multi-emerging technology based fabrication facilities

Multi technology, high product mix, low volume fabrication facilities (MT-HMLV) are the harbingers of next generation economies. Yet MT-HMLV´s are fraught with ineffective operation and strategic management practice. Practices they often borrow from the metric management approach endemic of single technology high volume production facilities. If this is true in a time of recession and increased globalization then these facilities are at risk. We focus on one very important group of these facilities; those which are working at the interface of micro technology, nanotechnology and semiconductor micro fabrication. This group is not atypical. Due to the high degree of success that the metrics management approach has enjoyed in high volume semiconductor fabrication facilities (HVSF) they are the ldquoDefactordquo standard for any fabrication facility remotely akin to semiconductor fabrication and this group is. However, simply applying HVSF based metrics to our group of MT-HMLV facilities are proving ineffectual. We employ an extensive literature review and the case study methods to ascertain why these commonly used metrics have been so ineffectual. Further, we utilize these same techniques to develop a more useful metrics management approach for our specific group of MT-HMLV´s facilities. We base our metrics on the unique nature of MT-HMLV facilities as well as traditionally used HVSF metrics and R&D metrics.