AM Technical Solutions (AM) recently supported a global semiconductor company with a tool install project at their facility in the Southwestern U.S. We lent our expertise in 2-dimensional (2D) design work, code, and quality assurance to support the semiconductor facility upgrade project.
The complex project called for semiconductor equipment installation and connection to process system elements in their existing facility. This process required a combination of new facility configuration, upgrades for required elements, and validations for the reuse of valuable equipment.
Before the work began, we reviewed the 2-D flat design drawings for the project work that were developed by the architectural & engineering (A&E) design firm of record.
Taking this step is important because any construction project inherently has a risk of errors. Oftentimes, unwanted elements such as inaccurate codes, specifications, or lack of constructability information find their way into the design documents. This can significantly impair the project schedule, create re-work, and increase costs. Our expertise in semiconductor facility design and construction allows us to review and address these elements to drive First Time Right in these complex high-tech facilities.
How We Used Our 2D Design Expertise to Support the Project
For this project, our company evaluated the semiconductor facility drawings for inaccuracies and made comments for the A&E design team to address. Our Quality Assurance (QA) team reviewed the design documents to identify errors in code compliance, specification compliance, and constructability.
We were selected to perform this review because our QA team has unique capabilities to bring oversight into the design process due to our collective depth of knowledge around code, specification, and construction.
In the past, this knowledge was injected into the backend of the construction process at the Owner Acceptance (OA/FAT) and Commissioning (Cx) stage. By bringing this knowledge forward to the beginning of the project, we were able to create efficiencies and prepare to deliver on all three for our customer (cost, quality, and time).
The Results of Our Semiconductor Facility Support
Following our review, the A&E design firm incorporated our recommendations into the project plans. If left unchecked, these issues would have potentially resulted in delays due to recurring requests for information or significant cost and schedule impacts. Consider how we reduced risks throughout the project:
– Waste: We helped reduce the risk of unplanned rework. This was critical for the following reasons:
- Reduced EHS risk for workers that would have had to perform the re-work.
- Eliminated the need to procure additional materials needed for an already constrained supply chain.
- Limited the amount of additional labor needed to perform potential re-work in an already constrained trade labor market.
– Cost: Our approach reduced the incurrence of added costs. We helped reduce the cost of added material, the cost of added labor, and the cost of delayed time to market.
– Delays: We helped keep the construction schedule on time for our customer. By supporting a First Time Right design approach, we helped remove variance in the construction work and enabled a predictable construction schedule.
– A key aspect of the project was setting up a robust Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle (PDCA cycle) to help identify early risk factors that needed to be addressed. We utilized data to support our collection process and the evaluation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Our approach enabled us to support continuous improvement, put corrective actions into place, and reduce the level of effort required at each stage of the project. This accelerated the timeline for when the company could utilize new tools at the semiconductor facility.
“We appreciate the efforts of our QA reps coordinating with the A&E design team and specific project teams to help our customer expand their production capabilities,” says Dan Codi, AM COO. “Our team executed the pre-construction project at the highest level to create a smooth path forward for this semiconductor facility upgrade project.”
– Find out more about our capabilities to deliver high-tech construction services for semiconductor facilities.
– View our portfolio of award-winning high-tech construction projects for semiconductor companies.
– Need high-tech construction services for a semiconductor facility project? Contact us today to discuss your project requirements.
