Manufacturing work in process management system
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJeffrey P. Gifford, Roger M. Young
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for addressing high Work In Process (WIP) conditions for increasing throughput while minimizing risk in a manufacturing line. Selected products to be skipped over during high WIP conditions include determining toolsets having work in process exceeding a certain threshold. For each of the toolsets, products which meet a criteria for skipping are selected. The selected products skip over to the toolset used in a subsequent process step ahead of product failing to meet the criteria for skipping. Solutions to this problem also include the WIP of the current process step, nominal WIP and WIP of subsequent process steps. Candidate lots for skipping process steps are identified by referencing a matrix of parameters that includes yield and criticality.
Claims20
A method of increasing throughput while mitigating risk in a manufacturing line by selecting products to be skipped over during high Work In Process (WIP) conditions, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) determining toolsets having work in process exceeding a predetermined threshold;
- (b) for each of the toolsets, selecting the products which meet a criteria for skipping;
- and
- (c) having the selected products skip over to the toolset used in a subsequent process step ahead of the product failing to meet said criteria for skipping.
A method of increasing throughput while mitigating risk in a manufacturing line by selecting products to be skipped over during high Work In Process (WIP) conditions, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) determining toolsets having work in process exceeding a predetermined threshold;
- b) for each of the toolsets, selecting the products which meet a criteria for skipping by comparing a queue time of the product to be skipped for a current process step to the queue time for the same product in a subsequent process step;
- c) identifying the product where the subsequent queue time for the current process step is greater than the queue time for the subsequent process step;
- d) skipping over the identified product and selecting another product to be evaluated;
- and
- e) having the selected products skip over to the toolset used in a subsequent process step ahead of the product failing to meet said criteria for skipping.
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for increasing throughput while mitigating risk in a manufacturing line by selecting products to be skipped over during high Work In Process (WIP) conditions, said method steps comprising:
- (a) determining toolsets having work in process exceeding a predetermined threshold;
- (b) for each of the toolsets, selecting the products which meet a criteria for skipping;
- and
- (c) having the selected products skip over to the toolset used in a subsequent process step ahead of the product failing to meet said criteria for skipping.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.