Singapore Mainboard-listed ST Assembly Test Services (STATS), a semiconductor test and advanced packaging service provider, will form a virtual manufacturing system that incorporates customers as part of its supply chain by Q2 next year.
“We are taking advantage of the current industry slowdown to strengthen our business fundamentals, of which IT is a critical component. With our new chief information officer Ng Tiong Gee spearheading the project, we are positioning IT to become a strategic differentiator for STATS in the marketplace,” said Tan Bock Seng, STATS chairman and chief executive officer.
STATS, which services fabless companies, integrated device manufacturers and wafer foundries, has operations in Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S. and U.K. Its expertise is in testing mixed-signal semiconductors, which are used in fast-growing communications applications such as data networking, broadband and mobile communications.
The company’s new integrated IT architecture is expected to seamlessly link STATS to its customers’ manufacturing operations. The IT architecture’s two key components – the external MySTATS self-service portal and the internal e-TAS manufacturing backbone – are currently being developed, with a pilot run scheduled for end-2001.
Added Ng Tiong Gee, STATS chief information officer, “We have already engaged a few customers to work with us during the pilot run. As part of customers’ supply chain, STATS’ eventual goal is to build a support architecture that begins from design and production through to invoicing, after-sales support, and even drop shipment to end customers.”
The MySTATS portal will enable STATS to link up with customer networks to provide online access to real-time, reliable reports on work in progress, as well as other operational data from STATS. According to company officials, MySTATS will also incorporate the RosettaNet standard to facilitate data interchange.
e-TAS will form the backbone of the company’s manufacturing operations, linking shopfloor operations to company-wide business applications. When completed, e-TAS will enable STATS users to retrieve real-time information and reports from the manufacturing shopfloor.
According to a STATS statement, the integrated “e-manufacturing” system comprises six modules, which are being developed concurrently. These include the Adexa iCollaboration global planning suite and Hyperion sales forecasting system, which have already been implemented.