Article
IBM Storage Systems Division Selects Camstar's InSite™ MES As Standard For Integrated Worldwide Read-Write Head Manufacturing
February 21, 2000
InSite will serve as a core system at IBM's head manufacturing facilities, managing local production at multiple sites. In addition, InSite will link manufacturing locations in Mainz (Germany), Guadalajara (Mexico), Vesprem (Hungary), Shenzhen (China) and San Jose (CA) as a centrally managed global operation capable of maintaining the highest levels of product quality.
According to Brian Gordon, Camstar's Vice President of Technology, InSite's ability to "push" configuration changes automatically from a central location to all its manufacturing locations will enable IBM to ensure product consistency while significantly reducing administration costs. "Being able to centrally manage the configuration process from a single point of control, in combination with InSite's distributed architecture and its ability to support a multi-site manufacturing environment, gives IBM the infrastructure they need to tie their operations into a single, highly-efficient global operation."
InSite's deployment at SSD is in the production and testing of IBM's magnetoresistive (MR) read/write heads ("sliders"), tracking work-in-process through the many steps of the slider production process. InSite provides IBM with full product genealogy, order status, quality control, yield management, collection and analysis of parametric process data, and continuous process control.
In addition, InSite supports the modeling of IBM's complex and rapidly-changing processes, the capture of data from their automated production equipment in real-time, and multi-level product tracking. InSite's unlimited multi-level tracking capabilities enable IBM to track wafer lots down to the individual die location, thereby achieving 100% product traceability, high-precision defect analysis, and superior levels of product quality.
"IBM SSD's choice of InSite for this critical, large-scale operation confirms our product vision," says Dave Cone, President of Camstar. "Just as IBM SSD has standardized on applications for ERP and Supply Chain Management - with SAP and i2 Technologies - the selection of InSite as their MES standard will enable them to accommodate their distributed manufacturing operations with a single, scalable solution. This represents precisely the kind of global manufacturing challenge we had in mind for InSite."
Founded in 1984, Camstar Systems, Inc. supplies its manufacturing execution system (MES) software to the semiconductor, electronics, textiles, paper, metals, and food markets, as well as to other industries for which tracking, traceability, quality data collection, and process control are mission-critical to corporate success. The company offers and supports two distinct MES products - MESA for the IBM AS/400 series and InSite for Microsoft's Windows NT platform. Camstar Systems, Inc. is located at 900 E. Hamilton Ave., Suite 400, Campbell, CA 95008, 408/559-5700, Fax: 408/558-9350, http://www.camstar.com.
