Implementation of a WIP modeling system at LSI logic

LSI Logic Corporation\´s Gresham, OR facility is a 200 mm fab that began production in 1998. This facility currently houses both high-volume production and R&D organizations. In 2001, an executive decision was made to initiate a "stable production" effort in the Gresham facility. This was a result of the impressive performance metrics of LSI Logic\´s Tsukuba fab in Japan that had begun this effort 5 years before. A big part of Tsukuba\´s success was attributable to a WIP (Work-in-Progress) modeling system and the same model was implemented in Gresham. As a requirement, the model developed in Gresham had to be integrated with the rest of the production control systems and adaptable to the diverse mix of products as well as the mix of high-volume production and R&D in Gresham.