Chris Parsons

The future of digital transformation in the semiconductor industry is to pursue industry 4.0 to go beyond chips. It begins with a re-engineered operation and a re-imagined business, which at its core needs a MES capable of supporting this large scale and all-pervasive strategy.

For Critical Manufacturing, our 100th blog post milestone is especially relevant to us. Our blog posts are a reflection of cooperation—cooperation from our employees, customers and partners in creating thought-provoking, timely articles discussing technology, people, processes and products.

Electronics manufacturers feel the pressure to modify design functionality to account for component shortages. information silos prevent scaling and free flow of data from assembly lines to shop floor to enterprise, and then out to value chain partners.

The Pygmalion effect of expecting the best results can be a key to deriving the benefits of change in a company. Knowing the company’s own value chain, placing clear expectations internally and in-line with a future, more digital self, followed by choosing the right MES and driving results through capable, motivated leadership, will deliver a digitally transformed enterprise.

This distinction between industry segment needs is a primary reason that MES products are specialized by industry. Getting a MES/QMS system that captures the distinct processes, nomenclature, manufacturing modes and quality regulations is driven by industry-specific functionality. The selection of a specific vendor should include the focus, functionality and roadmap for that industry.

After being named as a leader in the 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for MES, our MES scored highest out of 19 vendors evaluated for “Batch/Repetitive Flow Manufacturing”, “Complex Discrete Manufacturing” and “Highly Regulated Industries”. We are proud to say that our modern MES ranked highest for the complex manufacturing styles it was designed for.

There has been an uptake in Line Automation and Management Technologies, such as MES, in SMT. The automation and digitization of manufacturing and assembly lines is seen as a priority by industry leaders, and those who have acted now stand to gain far more than ones who choose not to.

Companies which approach digital transformation from a strategic standpoint and pursue the step changes required for enabling this new revolution reinvigorate their value chain and have the opportunity to achieve unprecedented results from their operations and extended supply chain.

Everyone seems to have a vision on Industry 4.0 but the big question remains: how the associated digital technologies can be effectively and efficiently implemented for quick time to value. We think we have the answer, and it encompasses combining technologies such as Digital Twin and Augmented Reality (AR) with modern operations management systems such as MES.