Smart Manufacturing

Many companies are applying Fourth Industrial Revolution initiatives in manufacturing, though only a few have managed to successfully integrate the smart manufacturing technologies at a scale that allows them to realise significant economic and financial benefits.Known as lighthouse companies, these organisations have taken their smart manufacturing journeys from pilot to integration at scale, serving as beacons to others in overcoming challenges in their production systems through the adoption of leading-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and advanced analytics.At the recent SEMI Southeast Asia webinar Journey to Recovery of the E E Industry, Dato' Azman Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), spoke about building Malaysia’s very own Lighthouse Project comprising multinational corporations that will act as anchors to help guide local players into this new venture.During the webinar, Dato' Azman elaborated about Malaysia’s competitive edge – its diversified economic structure and government support. He said the key to sustaining this competitive edge, however, is that the Malaysian economy must be digitally empowered. The Lighthouse Project is one programme that will help achieve this objective. We are inspired and encouraged by this initiative. As firm believers in connecting and collaborating, SEMI Southeast Asia supports programmes that advance the entire microelectronics ecosystem. We look forward to seeing MIDA drive this project, and we encourage Malaysian E E companies to tap MIDA’s expertise in this field. Ultimately, we are confident that through this initiative and the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, Malaysia will be repositioned as a top global manufacturing nation. Bee Bee Ng is president of SEMI Southeast Asia.

The automation of semiconductor factories through digitization is reshaping Smart Manufacturing to streamline the connectivity and orchestration of manufacturing processes across the entire supply chain. But the threat of cyberattacks and viruses looms. An estimated 26 billion smart and connected manufacturing devices are expected to be online by next year. Never before has the need been greater to protect the staggering volume of manufacturing data traversing increasingly intricate supply chain networks.“We are living in the time of digital manufacturing,” said Chen Chi-Hsien, Director of TSMC’s Manufacturing Technology Center. “Processes ranging from assembling equipment and upgrading hardware and software are increasing security challenges for semiconductor manufacturers. With viruses and malware constantly evolving to pose greater threats, all members of the supply chain – from manufacturing and equipment to operating system and software/firmware providers – should work together within the SEMI Smart Manufacturing platform to establish cybersecurity standards across the industry. Doing so will also enhance the development of smart manufacturing and accelerate digitalization.” Representatives from Tongfu Microelectronics, Adlink, NSHC, ABB, TSMC, ASE and Microsoft with SEMI CMO and SEMI Taiwan president Terry Tsao (left to right) Chi-Hsien offered his insights at the SEMI Smart Manufacturing and Cybersecurity Seminar, joining speakers from other leading semiconductor manufacturers including TFME and ASE to discuss the latest smart manufacturing trends and cybersecurity challenges. The April event in Hsinchu also featured representatives from ABB, Adlink, Microsoft, Rockwell, Siemens, Delta Electronics and the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) offering their views on how the semiconductor industry can speed its digital transformation using various technologies.With its 43 years’ experience in developing international standards, SEMI is committed to serving as the platform to establish universal information security standards for silicon wafer plants and semiconductor equipment, Terry Tsao, SEMI chief marketing officer and SEMI Taiwan president, said at the seminar. Tsao added that SEMI is now in discussions with leading semiconductor manufacturers to establish a communications framework for addressing potential security risks and facilitating the development of risk management and security solutions that safeguard the semiconductor supply chain.This year SEMI will debut its SMART Manufacturing EXPO to gather key supply chain players for critical discussions about security and to feature AI manufacturing and cybersecurity solutions. Co-located with SEMICON Taiwan, September 18-20, 2019, at TaiNEX 1 (Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1), the SMART Manufacturing EXPO will include Smart manufacturing hardware and software providers from around the world for the interdisciplinary discussions and collaboration key to developing strong Smart manufacturing security.For more information about the SEMI Smart Manufacturing Platform, contact Emmy Yi of SEMI Taiwan at [email protected] Yi is a marketing specialist at SEMI Taiwan.