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The Solution: InSite-Robust Platform and Ease of Use
After a thorough evaluation of available solutions, Lightwave Microsystems chose
InSite e-manufacturing software from Camstar. According to Rauch, InSite was the
right choice for a number of reasons. "Camstar offered the best combination of robust
platform, flexibility and ease of use," says Dave Rauch, vice president of engineering
at Lightwave Microsystems. Camstar's prestigious client list from the semiconductor,
optoelectronics, and electronics industries gave us the added confidence that they
had the right technology to meet our needs with no compromises."
Flexibility is Key: Designed for collaborative manufacturing environments,
InSite provides a highly flexible, Internet-based platform for tracking and managing
orders as they move through multiple plants and processes. Capitalizing on this
inherent flexibility, Lightwave Microsystems is using InSite as the "system of record"
for all three areas of production in its San Jose, Calif. plant, including wafer
fabrication, test, and packaging. In addition, InSite's unique multi-level, work-in-process
(WIP) tracking gives the company unprecedented control over its production processes,
and allows the company to collect and analyze information at any level of detail.
In Lightwave Microsystems' case, that means they can track product genealogy down
to the chip level. By detecting yield patterns within a product, and then tracking
problems back to the wafer, lot, and multiple lot levels, Lightwave Microsystems
will realize additional improvements in the speed with which it can perform continuous
yield analysis.
Real-time Visibility Speeds Throughput: Because InSite links customer
orders to real-time production processes, Lightwave Microsystems now has the detailed
information it needs to improve the company's operations. "The visibility we're
getting into our operations represents an enormous advantage for us," says Doug
Barnes, IT manager at Lightwave Microsystems. "Now we can make better business decisions
by looking directly at our work-in-process inventory status, increase yields by
identifying and classifying failure mechanisms, and detect bottlenecks that may
have been preventing us from achieving maximum manufacturing throughput."
Analyzing the Results: Lightwave Microsystems is using Camstar's
Reporting Module, a set of "out-of-the-box" reports that provide plant managers
with readable views of operations to help improve manufacturing efficiency. These
standard reports can be quickly and easily modified to meet unique customer needs.
For example, Lightwave Microsystems is using an E10 equipment state model for measuring
equipment capacity, and InSite's reports and displays reflect those values. Similarly,
Lightwave Microsystems pre-defined its data objects to make it easier to track work-in-process
inventory and perform yield analyses. "This provides our business managers with
a very powerful set of tools with which to do their jobs," says Barnes.
Manufacturing consistency is another critical component of Lightwave Microsystems'
manufacturing strategy because, without it, there is no foundation on which to build
the kinds of customer-responsive scheduling and supply chain management systems
the company needs to stay competitive in today's optoelectronics market.To achieve
that consistency, Lightwave Microsystems will use InSite's integrated statistical
process control (SPC) module. SPC ensures that any deviations from processing norms
are detected and corrected quickly, improving the consistency and throughput of
Lightwave Microsystems' manufacturing processes.
The Payoff: Fast Time to Benefit
Lightwave Microsystems' InSite implementation took only 125 days from start to finish,
and immediately began producing benefits for the company. For example, by collecting
and analyzing production, parametric, and test data, InSite enables Lightwave Microsystems
to maximize yields and improve product quality, while maintaining full traceability
for each manufactured component.
Lightwave Microsystems is integrating its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
with Camstar's InSite solution. This integration will allow Lightwave Microsystems
to become even more collaborative in its manufacturing operations by feeding real-time
production information-such as costing, inventory positions, bills of material,
and routings-from InSite to the new ERP system. "In optoelectronics it's particularly
important that line management be able to fulfill orders and manage the supply chain
by producing precisely what customers need, while minimizing inventory and improving
the predictability of the output," says Barnes. "By having InSite drive the plant,
we can accomplish that much more effectively.
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