Abstract :
Semiconductor manufacturing plants carry a huge price tag. Minifabs based on lean, agile processes could cut production costs. This article describes the minifab concept. A minifab is a small, flexible and agile production unit for device or systems manufacturing that can be built quickly to meet market needs. It allows just-in-time capacity with less investment, rapid ramp-up, optimum-volume manufacturing, decreased energy emissions, and low-cost manufacturing even with high-mix low and medium-volume products. This represents a disruptive production system and business model compared with existing semiconductor fabs.
Keywords :
agile manufacturing; electronics industry; flexible manufacturing systems; integrated circuit manufacture; just-in-time; lean production; optimised production technology; production facilities; semiconductor device manufacture; agile processes; business models; disruptive production systems; energy emissions reduction; flexible production unit; high-mix products; just-in-time; lean processes; low volume semiconductor manufacturing plants; low-cost manufacturing; medium-volume products; minifabs; optimum-volume manufacturing; rapid ramp-up; semiconductor fabs;
