Lean techniques drive inspection firm's rebound
An exclusive interview with a technical leader
Rick Nelson, Chief Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 9/1/2006
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Kevin Maddy Kevin Maddy has 27 years manufacturing experience, the past 14 years as an executive specializing in turn-around management, organizational reengineering, and the implementation of lean manufacturing practices. Approximately 50% of his experience is in the area of plant management, 30% in business development, and 20% in finance. He has held positions with corporations such as Ford Motor, Unisys, and United Technologies and was a contributor in the turn-around and restructuring of Pratt & Whitney. He holds a BS degree in business. Shingijutsu Company in Japan trained him in the implementation of lean manufacturing practices. Chief editor Rick Nelson spoke with Maddy at Semicon West and followed up with e-mail questions. Kevin Maddy comments on aftermarket issuses and provides more details on RVSI products in the continuation of this interview. |
A: RVSI offers two lines. The LS8800 is a fully automated in-tray inspection system for final inspection of semiconductor packages such as BGA, TSOP, and QFP. The second line is our wafer-inspection system. The latest model, the WS3800, provides macro defect inspection for both flip-chip and wire-bond wafers.
Q: RVSI has been through turbulent times. What is its current status?
A: RVSI has made incredible progress since Ancora purchased it in March 2005. We are on track with our business plan. Sales will more than double this year and again in 2007.
Q: When did you join RVSI, and what do you hope to contribute to the company's efforts going forward?
A: I joined RVSI in September 2005. Since I have more than 27 years of manufacturing experience on the shop floor in the automotive and aerospace industries, I do offer a different perspective. I am very customer-focused and strive to be easy to deal with. I also have the in-depth knowledge of integrated product-development processes and lean manufacturing techniques that brings a new mind-set to managing the business and working in partnership with its customers.
Q: How is evolving semiconductor technology changing inspection requirements, and how is RVSI meeting these requirements?
A: Package shrink is the main challenge. Devices present more I/O contacts and tighter pitches in smaller areas. The I/O contacts themselves are smaller; therefore, the metrology requirements are tighter.
Because RVSI's technology is based on electronic laser triangulation, we can adapt by obtaining our 3-D measurements at tighter sampling rates. Ironically, the advancements being measured in semiconductor technology translate into higher capabilities for our systems. More complicated, faster devices let us fire our laser at faster rates, obtain tighter data samples, and process millions of points at higher speeds and higher accuracies.
Q: How have you brought about RVSI's recent progress?
A: We have focused on operational improvements, on improving our products, and on changing our strategy with respect to the aftermarket and cost of ownership. We first focused on operational improvements to improve quality, on-time delivery, and lead times through the implementation of lean manufacturing principles.
Q: What about improving your products—could you provide an example?
A: I will provide two: First, the recently introduced LS8800 lead scanner overtakes the competition in speed across roughly 80% of the market segment. We have also improved our package visual inspection (PVI) system through a speed upgrade, making it six times faster than previous models.
With respect to our wafer scanner, we just announced another speed increase, which makes it the fastest 3-D scanner in the industry—twice as fast as the competition. Most significantly, we have enhanced the 2-D inspection capability of the machine, an area where RVSI has not seriously played. Case in point: We recently won several surface-defect application orders in China, Taiwan, and Korea.
Kevin Maddy comments on aftermarket issuses and provides more details on RVSI products in the continuation of this interview.
