Process development challenges in difficult economic times

Abstract

It is no secret that the semiconductor industry and other high-tech industries like the MEMS and NEMS industry have suffered over the past year. According to figures from the GSA, semiconductor sales were down by 6% in 2008 compared to 2007. Nor is it much of a secret that many industry figures have championed innovation as the key for companies to ride out the storm and indeed to prepare for the upturn when it comes. Most high-tech industries, which are particularly suffering in the current climate, have experienced a downturn in sales. As such, driving down costs is obviously essential in these tough times. However, some long term cost savings have been largely unexplored by high tech companies until now. In particular, the semiconductor, MEMS/NEMS and photovoltaic industries have the potential to decrease time-to-market and the cost of product development by investing wisely in tough times. This paper investigates the challenges, discusses some important considerations and highlights potential methods for companies to come out of this crisis stronger. The value of specialised software, called Process Development Execution Systems (PDES), will be discussed. A PDES helps to cope with the challenges of growing complexity, shorter time-to-market and development inefficiencies. The paper will demonstrate that the demands to grow future markets with increasingly complex products can only be fulfilled through the intensive use of PDES software like XperiDesk working together with product engineering methodologies. It will be shown that the tools and methods give companies a competitive advantage by developing better solutions and shorterning time-to-market. The impacts of such a collaborative development approach specifically supporting the MENS and NEMS industry were published in [1].

The English version of the reprinted publication in the proceedings of the COMS2009 conference can be downloaded here.