Fabless Consulting

N-Able Group can provide a range of services regarding a company’s manufacturing supply strategy and implementation. This can include anything from looking at specific areas to optimize up to a comprehensive assessment of the overall supply chain. We can help develop your manufacturing supply strategy if one does not exist including optimizing both internal operations and subcontract suppliers.  Aspects of this could include assessment and selection of subcontract suppliers and assistance with negotiation of specifications, yields, cycle times, prices and terms.  We also offer a variety of general and operational management services for semiconductor manufacturing companies.  Examples of target areas include product and service strategy, customer satisfaction and communication, process improvement and control, and yield and cycle time enhancement.

There are currently 100 subcontractors, mostly in Asia, building everything from high lead BGAs to discrete devices. Labor rates range from over $10 to under $1 per hour. Suppliers range from supporting dozens of different packages to only a handful. Selection and assessment of subcontractors might include answering some of the following questions:

• What is the competitive pricing for a given technology and interconnect scheme?
• What should I pay to assemble a given package and lead (e.g. 208 lead QFP)?
• What design assistance or die shrink engineering asistance is available?
• What is the total cost of ownership of my finished device including all expenses?
• What should it cost to test a DRAM with a test time of 3.5 seconds?
• What assembly yield should I expect on a given package and lead (e.g. 15 lead SIP)?
• What is a competitive on-time-delivery attainment percentage?
• What tests should I run to qualify my die in a given package (e.g. 1.0 mm TSSOP)?
• How does the foundry procure their photomasks and how does the interaction work between customer and foundry to accomplish this?
• What should cap, base and leadframe cost for a given package and lead (e.g. 28 Cerdip)?
• What subs in Asia are qualified to build a given package (e.g. CPGA's) to military standards?
• What is a competitive AOQL for a given package and lead (e.g. 100 lead TQFP)?
• What is a reasonable cycle time for a given package and lead (e.g. 20/26 SOJ)?
• What is the quoted cycle time and yield from wafer start to wafer probe? Is this a 2 sigma statistic?
• Is the tool set of a given foundry competitive versus the technology required?
• What percentage of my assembly and test should I second source - all/some/none?
• What are the relative risks of having all assembly done in one country?
• What Cpk level should I expect for rack solder plate?
• What are the wafer yield guarantees based on? PCM data or device probe yields?
• What should it cost to do a second topside mark after test?
• What is a reasonable time for my supplier to close out a Corrective Action Request?
• What should I require of my suppliers to support my ISO 9001 Certification?
• What data and reports should I receive from my suppliers?
• What items should I periodically audit in the factory?

NGi can provide a broad range of services to help companies ranging from those just starting to use subcontractors to those that have been using subcontractors for years.