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LCD photomask maker AIPC adopts Ares ciMes for factory e-control


Allied Integrated Patterning Corp. (AIPC), a major Taiwan-based TFT LCD/CF/Bumping photomask maker and solution provider in Taiwan, designed in the ciMes (Computer Integrated Manufacturing Execution System) solution developed by Ares International Corp. at the beginning of its factory construction.

Through the web-version MES solution and the successful experiences of Ares professional consultants in assisting solution design-in for the semiconductor and optoelectronics industries, AIPC rapidly started volume production and ensure a fair and stable quality. In addition, AIPC relies on Ares ciMes to rapidly establish the management system for its factory manufacturing process and automatically monitor all manufacturing activities.

When AIPC is choosing the MES solution for its own use, it plans to establish a “factory operation control system” that can collect and control on-site manufacturing process from order landing to production commencement and end-product. Consequently, AIPC can control the realtime production status, improve factory operational efficiency, accelerate delivery date, lower costs and improve production yields.

“Function, flexibility, openness, price, technical support” are six major points for evaluating a good MES system. AIPC has chosen Ares ciMes because it not only provides a complete factory production management and control-related modules but keeps the flexible setting and offers bases such as the standard commands for the customer to configure its own production logic that can meet the unique production operations and rules of the company. ciMes uses the newest .Net Web structure, which is an innovation among MES competitors. When future modifications or new functions are added to the system, the customer can use various languages such as VB.Net, C++/C or C# to directly link to the Web mainframe for new changes, which saves significant maintenance costs.

AIPC needs an information collection system that can generate internal reports while allowing external customers to search for important integration information during the manufacturing process. On the other hand, Ares ciMes Data Mart function module satisfies this requirement: AIPC’s customers can enter queries for required information, which can help boost AIPC’s customer relationship service.

In addition, the technical ability is another key consideration when AIPC is choosing Ares ciMes. AIPC trusts Ares’ abundant implementation experiences in CIM, MES, ERP and EB. Compared with overseas brands, Ares ciMes is self-developed, can better meet the demand of Taiwan-based enterprises and provide the most urgent technical service for local customers, which will be more efficient and convenient. As such, Ares ciMes went live smoothly in four months at AIPC.

After the system go live, AIPC can process import/export, batch, merge, scrap lot, defect record and even for functions such as job instruction and control over product and process. In the meantime, for changes of the process such as demand for increasing new stations, Ares ciMes allows a easy establishment using sub-process functions while other functions such as version management, data usage, task appointment, process production command, record of defect products , process card printing, information search, machine search and report search are all available.

Ares ciMes provides over 30 basic commands and more than one hundred functions based on the industry standard. In the future, AIPC can use any programming languages that are supported by the Microsoft Visual Studio .Net to launch further development or maintenance such as VB, C, C++. In addition, with the Web function, ciMes allows the system to be put in the Web Portal. When new modifications or new function go live, no changes are needed to made in every browser; the user only needs to connect to the Web mainframe to obtain the newest changes, which will be less difficult for technical staff.

With information related technologies such as relational database, graphic interface and open structure, Ares ciMes helps integrating process for the core businesses of AIPC’s production such as order, supplier, material management, production, equipment maintenance and quality control, using report or other methods to accurately deliver to the users to monitor. Furthermore, when emergency occurs during production activities, Ares ciMes can offer information of on-site urgent status and notify the user immediately while connect the realtime information with other information systems. Consequently, the gap between enterprise, factory or process control system can be bridged.

ciMes Application Results:

  • Reduce manual error, lower costs and product defect rate
  • Immediate and complete process tracking and factory resources control
  • Establish production performance indicator to improve capacity
  • Increase server efficiency and improve data security
  • Cluster cooperation and support for smooth operation of production lines
  • Regular production machine and component pre-maintenance

According to AIPC, production management, process adjustment and yields analysis are the most important experiences and major hidden costs. With the complete production configurations of Ares ciMes, AIPC can accumulate the knowledge and experience during the production process. Not only will this help lower the costs and losses caused by trials-and-errors and experience searches, but can allow AIPC to immediately find out the newest production status and improve customer satisfaction. Ares ciMes helps to drastically lower the production cycle time, decrease WIP, improve on-time delivery ability and product quality while lowering purchasing costs and increasing production surplus, AIPC added.