Semiconductors

FMH expertise helps leading semiconductor manufacturer deliver customized products quickly, cost effectively.

The Challenge

A leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer, is continually introducing new products. Each stage of its product lifecycle — from initial development to refined production — calls for specific skills and production needs requiring a broad range of skills from its value added suppliers.

The Solution

FMH applied its engineering and design capabilities and incorporated an employee into the customer's design team when they were developing a new product. FMH brought critical production information to the prototype design. When actual production started, the team had already addressed manufacturing issues, allowing for shorter lead times.

Based on that success, the semiconductor manufacturer asked FMH to value-engineer a mature product to reduce lead times that had become road blocks in the manufacturer's attempt to gain market share within an industry niche.

The Results

The manufacturer is experiencing significant customer demand for its emerging product. Still, customers are requesting customization. FMH has been able to assist in developing different renditions of the base model more quickly and cost effectively, enabling FSI to commit to delivery times that are faster than its competition.

In one example, FMH was able to value engineer a product to shorten lead times by 25 percent, while reducing costs more than 10 percent.