Computer-integrated manufacturing . The greater reliance on automated systems for the transfer of materials will need to be accompanied by a greater reliance on automated systems for the transfer of information. Tool utilization . The press for maximized productivity will demand optimal equipment performance with no on-line bottlenecks. This new reality will depend on a reliable and comprehensive flow of automated material and information.
Information turns .
Thus, automation systems must be capable of delivering more frequent and more detailed data streams. Company survival will depend on management's capacity to make better decisions, and to make them faster than ever before. Resource allocation . In the past, fabs have sometimes deployed staff, materials, and tools through intuition and approximation. The high overhead of 300-mm manufacturing makes every resource precious.