Machine-Time Capacity Management for IC Foundries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional supply chain management methods are inadequate for industries like IC foundries, as they rely on material-based or quantity-based approaches, which fail to accurately manage machine-time consumption and capacity utilization, leading to inefficiencies and mistrust between customers and suppliers.
Innovation Solution
A machine-time-based demand and capacity management system that transforms demand plans into machine-time-based plans, using route information to reserve capacity accurately, incorporating an allocation planning module, order management module, and capacity management module to optimize capacity utilization and customer-specific product handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional quantity-based capacity management is used, then capacity can be represented simply by wafer quantity, but the measurement is not accurate because different IC products have different manufacturing complexities and cycle times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the capacity management approach by changing the measurement parameter from simple wafer quantity to machine-time consumption. Each IC product is assigned a machine-time factor reflecting its manufacturing complexity, allowing accurate capacity measurement that accounts for differences in process steps, cycle times, and equipment requirements across various IC products
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to capacity management by introducing machine-time as a temporal parameter. Instead of measuring capacity in one dimension (wafer quantity), the system measures capacity in two dimensions: quantity and time, where machine-time consumption captures both the amount and the temporal resource requirement of each product
2Productivity
If machine-time-based capacity management is implemented, then capacity utilization can be accurately measured and optimized, but the system complexity increases due to route information and machine-time factor calculations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing route information and machine-time factors for each IC product before actual capacity management is needed. This preparatory work creates a database of manufacturing parameters that can be quickly referenced during demand and capacity planning, avoiding complex real-time calculations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces machine-time factor as an intermediary parameter that bridges product specifications and capacity requirements. Instead of directly managing complex manufacturing processes, the system uses this intermediary metric to translate product diversity into comparable capacity units, simplifying the management process while maintaining accuracy
3Manufacturing precision
If demand plans are transformed into machine-time-based plans, then capacity reservation can be precise, but the transformation process requires detailed route information and increases processing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses preliminary action by pre-establishing the relationship between IC products and their route information in a database. When demand plans need to be transformed, the system simply retrieves pre-stored machine-time factors rather than recalculating manufacturing routes, significantly reducing transformation complexity while maintaining precision
Data Source
AI summary
Systems of demand and capacity management with machine-time accuracy are provided. The system includes an allocation planning module, an order management module, a capacity model, and a capacity management module. The allocation planning module receives a demand plan for a product. The capacity management module transforms the demand plan into a machine-time-based plan according to the capacity model, and reserves capacity according to the machine-time-based plan for the demand plan. The capacity management module further transforms a purchase order received by the order management module before a cutoff date for the product into a machine-time-based order, accepts the machine-time-based order and decreases the reservation capacity depending on the machine-time-based plan.