Cycle Time Performance Research Articles

Alternative facility layouts for semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities

Semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities are widely acknowledged to be among the most complicated industrial systems from a production planning and control point of view. The design of most wafer fabrication facilities has followed the process layout, where similar machines are located together. This feeds to complex, reentrant product flows through the facility. In this paper, we examine the effects on fab cycle time of a number of alternative layouts or machine dedication policies using a process for manufacturing three-dimensional (3-D) complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices as a research vehicle. We examine the performance of the layouts under different levels of machine breakdown, utilization, transfer time between stations, and setup times. Results show that cellular layouts, where machines are dedicated to a limited number of process steps, require more machinery but perform well when setup and transfer times are high and machinery is reliable. As machines become more unreliable, the flexibility of the process layouts becomes a major advantage. An interesting result is that the addition of modest amounts of extra capacity at critical workstations can significantly improve the cycle time performance of a fab.

Product Development Cycle Time and Organizational Performance

The authors develop and test a simple conceptual model linking product development cycle time to organizational performance. Using data from two industries (automobile and computer) and four countries (Canada, Germany, Japan, and the United States), they find that faster cycle time alone is not associated with higher accounting returns, sales growth, or perceived overall performance. Stronger support is found for the hypothesis that some product development practices, such as cross-functional teams and advanced design tools, interact with accelerated product development to improve performance, whereas other practices, such as reverse engineering of competitors’ products, suppress the potential benefits from lower cycle times. Finally, interaction effects for other organizational practices, such as customer involvement in the product development process and the extent to which new technology is obtained from external sources, appear to vary by industry.

Product Development Cycle Time and Organizational Performance

Product Development Cycle Time and Organizational Performance

Cost and cycle time performance of fabs based on integrated single-wafer processing

Visions of future wafer fabs include the use of integrated single-wafer processors to achieve fast cycle times and contain rising production costs. A survey of IC manufacturers, equipment vendors, and IC manufacturing literature was used to generate hypothetical conventional and alternative fabs to evaluate the effect of integrated single-wafer processing on cycle time and cost performance. The distinguishing features of the alternative fab are: (1) all thermal processes performed on single-wafer processors; (2) back-end net cleans performed on single-wafer processors; (3) integration of single-wafer processors into clusters or cells wherever practical, and (4) extensive use of in situ process monitors to replace in-line process monitors. Modeling and simulation of the resulting fabs suggest that integrated single-wafer processing can reduce the cycle time of conventional fabs by about 50% without having a significant effect on wafer production test. Tool integration and single-wafer processing must be used together to achieve these performance improvements. Although traditional lot sizes appeared to be appropriate for both fabs, improvements in cluster tool reliability and process step similarity could change optimal integrated tool configurations and reduce optimal lot sizes in the future.

Product Innovativeness and Entry Strategy: Impact on Cycle Time and Break‐even Time

New product development time, or cycle time, has become a critical competitive variable, particularly for small high‐tech manufacturing firms. The business press is filled with examples about large firms that have successfully reduced cycle time. This article investigates the relative impact of product innovation and entry strategy on cycle time and initial market performance of small firms. Using a sample of seventy‐three small manufacturing firms, Abdul Ali, Robert Krapfel, Jr., and Douglas LaBahn find that faster product development is associated with shorter break‐even time. Their results also indicate that these firms are achieving shorter cycle time not by sacrificing product quality, but by keeping the technical content of the product simple. Past research has not taken into account this relationship, and this may be one of the reasons why researchers have often suggested conflicting impact of entry strategy on market performance.

Product innovativeness and entry strategy: Impact on cycle time and break-even time

New product development time, or cycle time, has become a critical competitive variable, particularly for small high-tech manufacturing firms. The business press is filled with examples about large firms that have successfully reduced cycle time. This article investigates the relative impact of product innovation and entry strategy on cycle time and initial market performance of small firms. Using a sample of seventy-three small manufacturing firms, Abdul Ali, Robert Krapfel, Jr., and Douglas LaBahn find that faster product development is associated with shorter break-even time. Their results also indicate that these firms are achieving shorter cycle time not by sacrificing product quality, but by keeping the technical content of the product simple. Past research has not taken into account this relationship, and this may be one of the reasons why researchers have often suggested conflicting impact of entry strategy on market performance.

Metrics for Measuring Product Development Cycle Time

As global competitive pressure increases and product life cycles compress, many companies are trying to shorten their product development cycles. Firms are implementing a wide variety of different techniques, management processes and development strategies in their quest for shorter development cycles. We read anecdotal accounts of some efforts that herald great success stories but seldom hear about any failures. Unfortunately, some of the companies changing their development processes do so without any a priori basis for determining whether the process change will have helped or hindered them. The firm implements the new process without having a cycle time performance baseline against which to compare results from the new process. In this article, Abbie Griffin presents a method for obtaining product development cycle time performance baselines. She also demonstrates how to use them to either forecast expected project duration, given that you have not changed your development process, or determine whether a process change has actually decreased development cycle times.

Metrics for measuring product development cycle time

As global competitive pressure increases and product life cycles compress, many companies are trying to shorten their product development cycles. Firms are implementing a wide variety of different techniques, management processes and development strategies in their quest for shorter development cycles. We read anecdotal accounts of some efforts that herald great success stories but seldom hear about any failures. Unfortunately, some of the companies changing their development processes do so without any a priori basis for determining whether the process change will have helped or hindered them. The firm implements the new process without having a cycle time performance baseline against which to compare results from the new process. In this article, Abbie Griffin presents a method for obtaining product development cycle time performance baselines. She also demonstrate how to use them to either forecast expected project duration, given that you have not changed your development process, or determine whether a process change has actually decreased development cycle times.