Implementation of RFID in a low volume high flexibility assembly plant : module component tracking

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to help Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. (VSEA) to smooth the production and reduce the manufacturing cost. Without an efficient way to track on its high-value components, VSEA thereby spends hundreds of thousands of dollars to respond to customers' fraudulent claims and adds extra burdens to manufacturing teams. RFID system is introduced to improve the traceability of high-value components. By physically applying a RFID tag on a component and associating the tag with necessary information of the component, VSEA is able to avoid accepting a fraudulent claim by providing reliable and accurate record for a particular component. After testing different types of RFID tags and various checking system setups, the RFID system is verified feasible to be implemented in the high-value component tracking. Specially, a guideline of tag placements on different components is generated for reference in further implementation.