Benefits Of Outsourcing Yield Management Software

Microchip is a longtime yieldHUB customer. We work with a number of divisions worldwide. We spoke to Kasia Metlička-Sawicka, an Engineering Release Supervisor, Senior Engineer II-Product in Microchip Ireland to find out why she likes using our system.

What do you do?

I’m an Engineering Release supervisor/Senior Product Engineer. I oversee the engineering release group of technicians and graduate engineers. I support several production lines.

What did you use before yieldHUB?

Before, we used internal software. This was primarily needed to perform a type of analysis for quality control called Lot Norm (both multi-lot Lot Norm and within-lot Lot Norm). This was possible using our existing software but was laborious. Hence we evaluated whether to invest in upgrading our system or outsourcing it. yieldHUB was by far the easiest and most cost-effective solution. It does what we need out of the box, there’s no maintenance required. We can do a wide range of analysis that we wouldn’t have developed ourselves.

Over the years, we’ve considered taking it in-house, but we always stay with yieldHUB. It’s just easier, better and more cost-effective.

Why is it better than an internal option?

yieldHUB has all the functions we need and more. The amount of possibilities to analyze data is endless. The most important feature is Lot Norm and yieldHUB does it easily.

If we were to create it in-house, we would need a team of people, and it would take a vast amount of time. It’s very complex work, so it was less problematic for us at the time to buy off the shelf!

What’s the best thing for engineering managers and supervisors?

I can access the data anywhere! If someone on my team finds a problem, I login and see what the issue is and help them solve it. The charts and graphs make it easy to identify problems and their causes. It makes my job easier. The team is happier and more productive.

What’s the best feature for users?

Lot Norm. It’s a life saver! It’s a very useful function for gathering data from different products and test steps, and the possibility of linking them by parameter (in my case by elec. parameters).

I like the scatter charts visual. Comparing data across different lots is quick and easy. It has all the charts I need and many more. The system is very powerful! Even after years of using it, I discover new visualizations, charts and ways of analyzing data.

What do you like about the yieldHUB system?

The team: I like working with the team as they are engineering experts which makes it easier. Otherwise, I would have to explain things in layman terms which could be frustrating. On the rare occasion that there is an issue, I send a short email with a screenshot. Within a few hours, the query is answered. It’s very straightforward, there are never any issues.

They have great attention to detail. When I have a problem, they come back with a solution and often other advice to help me.

Ideas and updates: They are very open to new ideas and ways of doing things. Sometimes we have ideas and are surprised to find the functionality already exists. Other times they work on the software to develop what we want. Over the years, the interface of the system developed and changed. I’m glad that they update their software regularly. You can tell they know what they are doing.

Complexity: The number one thing I like about it is its complexity. The number of possibilities of graphs, charts and comparisons is endless. There are a huge amount of functions, we’re still scratching the surface.

Speed: I get the data I need quickly. It analyses data and produces charts at the touch of a button.

Database: I like having all the data I need in one place.

Effectiveness: It has all of the functions I need and is very accurate. This enables me to keep up with production and respond to anomalies and solve problems quickly.

Did it take you long to get used to the system?

I’m an engineer, so no! We were in touch with the team at the start when we got set-up. After that it was seamless. We use the system daily but rarely have to contact them, which is what I like when it comes to software.

There was training and on-boarding when we first started working with them. But I preferred using the software myself, figuring out how it works and what kinds of reports were possible.

There are endless amounts of reports available, so every now and then I find a new chart that I didn’t know was possible. Using the system by itself didn’t take too long. I’m still discovering some new features.

What’s the best thing for Product Engineers?

The system helps you find equipment issues (quick results on the chart) and respond to them swiftly.

Who should use yieldHUB?

Anyone working in the semiconductor industry who needs to analyze any type of data. There are limitless options for any manufacturer, especially for those who collect large amounts of data.