Vishay extends critical manufacturing MES to semiconductor business

Vishay Intertechnology, (NYSE: VSH), a global manufacturer of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components, has extended its roll out of Critical Manufacturing’s MES from its initial site in the USA in 2019 to now include Vishay’s semiconductor manufacturing facilities. On the heels of a global contract that will install the Critical Manufacturing software in more than 30 plants in Vishay’s passive components business, the new agreement will extend it also to Vishay’s semiconductor business, beginning with the Voecklabruck, plant in upper Austria.

Vishay Intertechnology has one of the world’s largest portfolios of semiconductors, including small, medium and high-power diodes and thyristors. Over the past two decades, the company has experienced rapid growth, mostly through strategic acquisitions. It now has factories in more than 50 global locations and is standardizing and consolidating manufacturing operations across these locations.

As Bernd Fankhauser, Director Operations Fab Voecklabruck, describes the situation: “Our Legacy MES system is nearing the end of its lifecycle. We need a solution that not only replaces all the current functionality but also provides a platform to support future digital transformation initiatives. This could include tighter integration with production equipment, real-time material traceability, workforce certification monitoring, real-time quality monitoring and predictive maintenance.”

As with the MES implementation at its passive components fabs, the fact that Critical Manufacturing could not only replace the legacy MES functionality but also had a full menu of proven modules to support advanced manufacturing operations, was a major selling point.

In the first phase of the semiconductor migration, Vishay will implement core MES modules to standardize batch and lot tracking and tracing of all production steps, including WIP tracking, master data, equipment tracking, alarm, and maintenance management, as well as an advanced interfacing to the SAP ERP system. Phase one will also provide the digital infrastructure for future implementation of advanced digital functionality such as machine integration, labor management and SPC-guided quality control.

Vishay’s Vice President VP for MES and Manufacturing Process Automation Dr. Thomas Amrein comments, “The passives components MES roll out proved that Critical Manufacturing was absolutely the right MES partner for us. We expect that their standardized approach — from functional modules down to pre-made programming objects — will reduce costs not only at the implementation phase but also during operation, helping us optimize return on all production and automation assets.”

Tom Bednarz, Sales Manager for Tech Europe at Critical Manufacturing adds: “Critical Manufacturing MES is the ideal solution for companies that are growing through acquisition, like Vishay. They are poised to become one of the largest and most digitally integrated manufacturing operations in the world. As our collaboration continues, I am quite sure that we will set new standards for operational excellence, agility, and innovation in electronics manufacturing.”

Vishay will initiate the semiconductor migration to Critical Manufacturing MES in the Voecklabruck plant with the possibility of further expanding its functionalities worldwide to other manufacturing locations, both, front- and backend plants.