Lifecycle Management for Semiconductor Devices

Solving the disconnect between design and manufacturing teams

The need to adapt and change is becoming more evident as we see how fast the semiconductor industry is evolving. And while semiconductor design and manufacturing are part of the same supply chain, they have traditionally been two distinct silos with limited collaboration and overlap. For companies to take advantage of quickly changing business needs, design and manufacturing must be on the same page.

Innovate to be competitive

Like many other hi-tech industries, while trying to remain competitive, semiconductor companies face many internal challenges. Their design review processes require you to work with data from multiple systems. Global design teams still communicate and share information via file transfer protocol (FTP) sites. And, engineers spend too much time looking for or re-creating information. As a result, design changes are not synchronized and engineering change order (ECO) processes take too long and cost too much.

The benefits of engineering collaboration

Semiconductor companies use many tools and processes across their entire value chain. But, with so many systems it’s hard to keep track of what information goes where. All stakeholders must be able to collaborate, visualize, and validate data across the entire business. They must also be able to find design data quickly to maximize reuse. To do this, companies must manage data in a single secure source, regardless of where or how it’s generated. By enabling cross-functional collaboration and having an integrated new product introduction (NPI) process across the entire business, they gain the visibility needed to know that they can manufacture what they design.

Combining product lifecycle information with program and project management methodologies, Integrated Program and Lifecycle Management unlocks the true operational potential of a company:

• Faster product launches
• Reduce non-value efforts through automation
• Reduce re-work of information and assets
• Increase the capacity to manage more product variants

Transparency, collaboration and re-use 

An integrated PLM system that includes application lifecycle management (ALM) enables users to collaborate on all product data, including specification, intellectual property (IP), validation, verification information. With all electrical, mechanical, software, design, and manufacturing activities they increase efficiency and productivity. The result is a robust collaborative environment powered by a single source of truth that enables teams to get the product right the first time:

• Reduced redundancy and data entry
• Reduced design re-spins
• Higher probability of design success

It all adds up to increased efficiency, faster TTM, increased profitability, and growth.