News

1 July 2009

 

Umicore chooses Eyelit’s integrated MES software for germanium wafer production

Belgium-based Umicore’s Electro-Optic Materials business unit has selected the manufacturing software suite of Eyelit Inc of Toronto, Canada to support its germanium wafer production.

Eyelit and its European partner SYSTEMA GmbH of Dresden, Germany (which provides manufacturing systems integration for the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries) were selected to deliver an integrated manufacturing execution and automation solution, replacing a paper-based system and providing reliable integration to SAP. Eyelit says that its system also provides a scalable solution with equipment management and product traceability, from raw material feedstock through to germanium ingot growth and wafer production. The project starts at Umicore’s plant in Olen, Belgium with a rollout to Quapaw, OK, USA in second-half 2009.

“We selected Eyelit because we needed a solution that we could easily expand across our global network of production sites,” says Ludo Vermeiren, business IT manager at Umicore’s Electro-Optic Materials division. “We wanted a proven solution that we could rely on well in the future, and have both European and US support capabilities. We felt that we could implement without custom code in order to gain competitive advantages rapidly. SYSTEMA’s equipment integration and wafer manufacturing modeling experience were also critical factors in our selection,” he adds.

“SYSTEMA GmbH has a successful track record of providing automation and factory integration to our semiconductor and solar customers,” says SYSTEMA’s senior consultant manager Holm Fischer. Together with Eyelit’s manufacturing software suite, the firm can help to improve operations and drive down the cost of manufacturing, he adds.

“We are continuing to gain MES market share with the help of partners like SYSTEMA,” says Eyelit’s VP of sales & business development Dan Estrada. “We’ve enjoyed a very successful relationship with SYSTEMA, found a niche in the semiconductor ingot growth area, and recently added three new customers in the last five months,” he adds. “Whether it is concentrator solar cells (CPV), space solar cells, solar cells (PV), high-brightness LEDs or other various semiconductor applications, the manufacturing steps can all be modeled and managed.”

See related item:

SiCrystal selects Eyelit’s integrated MES, quality and asset management software

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