Effective utilization (Ue) - a breakthrough performance indicator for machine efficiency improvement

In today's high stakes semiconductor industry, cost accounting demands high machine utilization and world class throughput time. The greater the utilization of capital equipment, the greater the return on investment [W. Hopp et al., 1996]. One of the major challenges facing most manufacturing facilities has been the inability to sustain world class equipment utilization and factory throughput time [J. Black et al., 2002]. This paper details how, through a breakthrough system called effective utilization (Ue), major advances in achieving higher predictable utilization and increased WIP velocity were made in both 200 mm and 300 mm Intel manufacturing facilities