SEMI Virtual Conference Aims to Speed Smart Manufacturing Adoption

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Aiming to accelerate the adoption of smart manufacturing across the worldwide microelectronics supply chain, the first SEMI Global Smart Manufacturing Conference will gather Industry 4.0 experts October 20-23 to share best known methods (BKMs) for improving data capture and analysis in microelectronics manufacturing. Registration for the virtual conference featuring keynotes, case studies and tutorials is open.

Smart manufacturing practices could increase productivity by as much as 12% through line efficiency gains, quality improvements, and reductions in energy and direct labor costs, according to Deloitte. Industry 4.0 is also a significant driver of IC devices, accounting for $49 billion in sales in 2020, according to Gartner.

Smart manufacturing is the science of digitizing manufacturing data to maximize microelectronics yield and production efficiencies while increasing return on investment in equipment, processes and people. Members of the SEMI SMART Manufacturing initiative collaborate to drive advances and a higher return on investment faster.

The SEMI Global Smart Manufacturing Conference will feature six sessions on three topics— sensing, connecting and predicting—and experts from companies including BisTEL, Bosch, Broadcom, Deloitte, Doople, Micron, Schneider Electric, Texas Instruments, TDK and Yamaha. With two live sessions each day, the virtual conference will be easy to access during working hours in the major microelectronics manufacturing regions.

“There is a growing need across the world for more insights on effective smart manufacturing strategies and tools that lead to high ROI,” said Dr. Bobby Mitra, IEEE Fellow, worldwide director of Smart Manufacturing at Texas Instruments, and chair of the SEMI Smart Manufacturing Americas Chapter. “The first SEMI Global Smart Manufacturing Conference will bring together global experts with real-world experience who will outline the critical concepts in each smart manufacturing domain with best practices and returns.”

“The microelectronics industry’s urgency to drive greater manufacturing efficiencies has never been greater as foundational production technologies remain key enablers of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, machine learning and other smart technologies that promise to help the world overcome some of its greatest challenges including the current COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tom Salmon, vice president of Collaborative Technology Platforms and lead of the Smart Manufacturing Initiative at SEMI. “With the sharp reductions in worldwide air travel, SEMI is taking the lead with a virtual conference that will connect microelectronics manufacturing customers with solution providers via a new AI engine to provide a novel method of information sharing and networking that could be more effective than a face-to-face event.”

The global SEMI Smart Manufacturing Technology Community, which includes Smart Manufacturing committees in the Americas, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and Taiwan, identified the industry experts who will present as speakers and instructors at the conference. 

The SEMI Global Smart Manufacturing Conference programs committee consists of representatives from Applied Materials, Arizona State University, Inficon/FPS, IBM, Lam Research, Veracity Protocol, Rockwell Automation, Sapphire Automation, TEL, and Texas Instruments.

SEMI launched its Smart Manufacturing Initiative in 2016 to explore strategies and share best implementation practices among its members while meeting the needs of SEMI International Standards committees for data sharing.

For more information on the SEMI Global Smart Manufacturing Conference, visit semi.org.