Industry News, Trends and Technology, and Standards Updates

Meet Bryce Ostler, one of our QE Software Engineers. Read on to learn a little bit more about Bryce.

How long have you worked at Cimetrix?

I have been working here at Cimetrix for just over a year now.

Where did you go to school and what is your degree?

I earned my B.A. in Accounting and an MBA from the University of Utah. I also earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Utah Valley University

What brought you to Cimetrix originally?

A friend of mine who already worked at Cimetrix mentioned that there was an opening here and I was graduating with my B.S. in Computer Science.  I liked the people I interviewed with and the friendly, positive atmosphere here.

What do you like most about your job?

People here at Cimetrix are helpful when I have questions, and I get to learn more about Software Development through my work.

What do you think it means to provide great Quality Engineering?

Solving problems and learning from them to prevent problems in the future, as well as researching good industry practices that can be implemented to help prevent problems.  Emphasis on incremental enhancements to build a resilient engineering environment.  Identifying and solving problems before they occur.

What’s the biggest accomplishment you’ve had at Cimetrix?

Integrating with the team and contributing along with the team.

How do you deal with challenges that come up at work?

• Identify the details related to the challenges
• Identify potential solutions
• Do/prepare what I can do to address it on my own
• Work with teammates to complete a solution
• Verify solution works/is working
• Identify lessons learned from the challenge
• Do periodic follow-ups to verify long term endurance

What's something you’ve learned while working at Cimetrix?

I've learned to develop in Micrososft Visual Studio.  I've also learned more about the factory automation industry and processes.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

Right here in the mountains of Utah!

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like bouldering, running, mountain biking, programming, and reading. 

SEMICON Taiwan was held September 5-7, 2018 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. During that same time (Friday September 7), the e-Manufacturing & Design Collaboration Symposium (eMDC) alsotook place in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Cimetrix exhibited in the Smart Manufacturing Pavilion and had a strong presence at both shows, exhibiting and speaking at SEMICON, and speaking and sponsoring a tea break at eMDC. 

Cimetrix SEMICON attendees included Dave Faulkner (VP Sales and Marketing), Michael Lee (Country Manager Taiwan), Yufeng Huang (Senior Software Engineer), Alan Weber (VP New Product Innovations), Samson Wang (Solutions Engineer) and Kimberly Daich (Marketing Manager); Hwal Song (Country Manager Korea) was also able to attend for one day. We were joined by several partners and distributors as well. The Cimetrix booth was busy throughout the show, and provided a comfortable and convenient setting for the many scheduled and walk-in meetings that took place.

In addition to the exhibitions, SEMICON Taiwan also sponsored many forums for expert speakers throughout the show. Dave Faulkner spoke on Friday morning on the topic of "Making Smart Manufacturing Work with EDA: The Stakeholder-driven requirements Development Process". On that same day, Alan Weber traveled to Hsinchu for eMDC and spoke on a similar topic, "Smart Manufacturing Stakeholders and Their Requirements." Smart Manufacturing is a prevailing topic across the industry and was featured at SEMICON Taiwan, as they continue the Smart Manufacturing Journey that began with SEMICON West. 

Our office in Taiwan has expanded recently with the addition of a new Solutions Engineer, and we are excited as new opportunities open up throughout the region. 

If you would like to learn more about Smart Manufacturing, our work in Taiwan or Cimetrix, please feel free to ask an expert any time. 

SEMICON Taiwan 2018 is just around the corner. Read the preview now in Chinese or below in English.

台灣半導體展在台灣微電子生產是一個非常重要的活動。矽美科即將在下週參加此半導體展。展期將由9/5 星期三至9/7星期五，在台北南港展覽館K2760 攤位。台灣半導體提供了一個很好的機會給公司及個人交流的平台，我們非常高興看到我們的客戶及新朋友分享我們的成長。

矽美科我們的 銷售和市場部副總裁 Dave Faulkner, 將會在9月7號禮拜五SEMICON TechXPOT演講。

若是你有經過我們的攤位K2760, 歡迎你跟我們的專家交流有關連線和相關的需求，我們會在現場做產品演練及介紹和告訴你們我們公司的簡介，你也可以預先來郵件預約，謝謝你。

SEMICON Taiwan is the premier event in Taiwan for microelectronics manufacturing and Cimetrix will be there next week! The show runs from Wednesday, September 5 through Friday, September 7, 2018 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. SEMICON Taiwan is always a great opportunity to connect with the companies and people in our industry and we are excited to see our clients, meet new people, and share the latest news of Cimetrix products and services with our Taiwan colleagues.

As the semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing industries grow, SEMICON Taiwan continues to grow as well, both in the number of people who attend and in the number of exhibitors.   This year, Cimetrix will be exhibiting as part of the Smart Manufacturing & Automation Pavilion at Booth K2760. The Smart Manufacturing Pavilion is a great place to start to understand the entire manufacturing process including Front End, Back End and PCB Assembly. 

Cimetrix will also have an expert talk led by Dave Faulkner, Vice President Sales and Marketing, at the SEMICON TechXPOT on Friday, September 7, and we invite you to join us there.

On the same day, at the eMDC 2018 event in Hsinchu, our EDA expert, Alan Weber, will deliver a presentation titled Smart Manufacturing Stakeholders and Their Requirements.

Stop by our booth any time to talk to our experts about your specific connectivity and control needs. We will have onsite product demonstrations as well as information about our company available. You can also schedule in advance a time to meet with us at the show by filling out a quick form with your meeting request. 

It was nice to see so many familiar faces this past Friday, August 17, 2018 at our Annual Shareholders Meeting. The meeting was held at our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT with over fifty-five percent of Cimetrix shareholders represented at the meeting. There was one proposal submitted by management to re-elect all five Directors, which was approved by shareholders with over 99% of the votes cast in favor of the proposal. We are grateful to have an incredibly talented and experienced Board of Directors who take their responsibility to represent the interests of shareholders very seriously. We are thankful our shareholders recognize and appreciate the value of our independent directors. 

After the formal shareholder meeting was adjourned, Dave Faulkner, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and Ranjan Chatterjee, Vice President and General Manager, Smart Factory Business Unit, gave presentations on the exciting growth initiatives underway at Cimetrix. Following their presentation, Bob Reback, President and CEO, provided his perspective on the state-of-the-company and outlook going forward. During these presentations and ensuing discussion, management shared that Cimetrix is seeing the results of its growth initiatives, as revenues for the first six months of 2018 were up over 24% year-over-year. In addition, during a discussion on the benefits of going private (which Cimetrix did at the end of 2014), management reported the benefits of going private exceeded its expectations and contributed to growing revenues at a CAGR over 18%, compared to the 6% CAGR as a public company from 2002 through 2013. Lastly, management reported that its balance sheet continues to get stronger, even as the company is able to make significant investments in its growth initiatives. The company continues to operate profitability on a quarterly basis, the company has no debt, and the company now has over $3M of cash.

We continue to be thankful for the support and enthusiasm demonstrated by our shareholders, the hard work of all our employees and the wisdom and guidance of our Board of Directors. Thank you for all your contributions to Cimetrix. 

Hwal Song of Cimetrix Korea talks about EDA/Interface A and Korean Equipment Makers. Read now in Korean or below in English.

Cimetrix Korea와 국내 파트너사인 링크제니시스는 EDA에 대한 세미나를 7 월 19 일에 개최했습니다. 삼성, SK 하이닉스를 포함한 글로벌 반도체 제조사들이 공정 장비의 추가 통신 프로토콜로 EDA를 채택함에 따라 EDA가 더욱 각광을 받게 되면서 개최한 세번째 세미나였습니다. 지금까지 200 명이 넘는 엔지니어가 이들 세미나에 참석하였으면, 이에 따라 한국에서의 EDA 연착륙이 진행 중입니다. 이들 세미나의 목적은 EDA의 이해부족로 오는 시행착오를 줄이고 첫번째 EDA구현을 가장 빠른 시간에 구현하기 위함입니다.

반도체 제조사의 EDA 채택은 차세대 분석 기능을 구현하고 딥러닝 및 머신 러닝 등과 같은 빅 데이터 및 AI의 새로운 기술을 수용하기 위한 주요 노력의 일환입니다. 대부분의 공정장비들이Freeze II 및 E164가 포함된 EDA 기능의 장착이 요구되거나 요구될 예정이여서,  Cimetrix Korea는EDA의 일반적인 개념뿐만 아니라 심도 있는 구현 방법론에 대한 이해를 위한 도움이 각 장비 제조사의 소프트웨어 엔지니어들에게 필요함을 인지하였습니다. 이러한 요구를 충족시키기 위해 다음과 같이 내용으로 세미나가 준비되었습니다.

• EDA관련 업계 동향 및 채택 현황 -  E164의 중요성 포함

• 반도체 제조사가 EDA 사양을 어떤 과정을 거쳐 준비하는가?

• 장비제조사의 소프트웨어팀 관점에서 EDA 구현의 모범 사례와 방법론

• 여러 장비제조사의 소프트웨어팀을 코칭한 컨설팅 및 지원 팀의 관점에서 EDA 구현 모범 사례와 방법론

• 구현중이거나 구현된 EDA 적합성 테스트의 모범 사례

활발한 토론과 Q&A를 통해서 한국의 장비 제조사들의 EDA에 대한 높은 관심을 엿볼 수있는 행사였습니다.

궁금한 점이 있으시면 언제든 연락주시기 바랍니다.

Cimetrix Korea and our local partner, Linkgenesis, held a seminar about SEMI EDA on July 19, the third one since 2016. EDA continues to gain momentum as global chip makers like Samsung and SK hynix have adopted EDA as an additional communication protocol for process tools. So far, over 200 engineers have attended these seminars, promoting the soft landing of EDA in Korea. Their goals include minimizing trial and error due to the lack of understanding on EDA, and speeding up the first deployment of EDA.

Adoption of EDA by chip makers is one of the major efforts for factories to implement their next-generation analytic capabilities and also embrace new technologies from big data and AI such as deep learning and machine learning. As most process tools are or will be required to ship with EDA capability, with Freeze II and E164, Cimetrix Korea recognized that Korean software engineers employed at equipment makers were looking for help in understanding in-depth deployment methodologies as well as understanding the general concept of EDA. In order to accommodate these needs, our seminars have been put together with following agenda:

• General industry trends of EDA and its adoption – the importance of E164
• How an EDA specification is put together by a chip maker
• Best practices & methodologies for implementation of EDA – from the perspective of a software team at a tool maker
• Best practices & methodologies for implementation of EDA – from the perspective of a consulting and support team who have coached many software teams in tool makers
• Testing best practices during and after EDA implementation

Active discussions and Q&A showed the high level of interest in EDA among Korean equipment makers. 

Please feel free to contact us whenever you have any questions.

Meet David Harrison, Quality Engineering Team Lead. Read on to learn a little bit more about David.

How long have you worked at Cimetrix?

I have been with Cimetrix for 1 year and 6 months.

Where did you go to school and what is your degree?

I graduated from the University of Utah School of Computing with a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science in December of 2016.

What brought you to Cimetrix originally?

I was looking for positions to start after graduation and found Cimetrix through Glassdoor.com. The Company values and standards really resonated with me. I was excited to join an industry with so much growth and movement.

What do you like most about your job?

I look forward to coming to work every day on a great team of individuals and contributing to the development of products that affect millions of lives around the world.

What do you think it means to provide great Quality Engineering?

To build the quality into the product itself by working with the entire development team, from CT&S to Marketing, to deliver stable, reliable products to our customers, and build the quality of our team members as well through mentorship and collaboration.

What’s the biggest accomplishment you’ve had at Cimetrix?

Taking on roles of QE Team Lead and SCRUM Master when I hadn’t even been with the company for one year was a unique challenge and overcoming that challenge and building a great QE culture has been a big accomplishment. 

How do you deal with challenges that come up at work?

The biggest resource I have when I am confronted with a difficult challenge is my peers and colleagues.  I am fortunate to work with many people who have vast knowledge and experience.  Their willingness to take on challenges as a team makes challenges easy to deal with. 

What's something you’ve learned while working at Cimetrix?

Companies that live by their values and lead by example by practicing what they preach will draw success to them.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

Anywhere there is a tropical beach. But if we are being specific, Kauai, HI.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like home improvement, reading, hiking, spending time with family and friends, board games, painting, rock climbing, gardening, playing music, cooking, and video games.

Cimetrix is here at SEMICON West 2018 and we're excited to be a part of the first Smart Manufacturing Pavilion in the South Hall. We hope you've been able to drop by and hear some of the great speeches including our own experts Alan Weber, VP New Product Innovations and our VP & GM Smart Factory Business Ranjan Chatterjee with Dan Gamota (VP Digital Engineering Services) at Jabil.

Alan Weber's presentation is now available online. The topic he chose is "Making Smart Manufacturing Work: The Stakeholder-driven Requirements Development Process".

An important maxim of performance management is “You get what you measure.” This is largely true whether you are talking about employees, organizations, processes, time management, sports teams, or – to highlight a current global industry topic – Smart Manufacturing.

The question now becomes “How DO the industry’s leading manufacturers ensure the equipment they buy will support their Smart Manufacturing objectives?” This presentation explains how the careabouts of key stakeholder groups are “translated” into specific equipment automation and communications interface requirements which can then be directly included in the equipment purchasing specifications. As more semiconductor manufacturing companies take this approach, effectively “raising the bar” for the entire industry, the collective capability of the equipment suppliers will increase in response, to everyone’s benefit.

Through several interviews with leading manufacturers over the past 18 months, we discovered that the best way to accomplish this is through a focused, interactive questionnaire process. By asking very specific questions about people’s daily tasks, problem areas, expectations, success criteria, and other items of constant concern, we can take a generic automation purchase specification outline and generate a complete, factory-specific set of automation and communications interface purchase specifications in a matter of days. This is time well-spent when you consider the value and volume of equipment potentially affected… and the opportunity cost of not having these requirements clearly expressed.

If the above discussion triggers the question “I wonder if our equipment automation purchase specs are sufficient to address the Smart Manufacturing challenges we’ll face in the next few years?” this presentation will interest you. Taking its lessons to heart may be the most important next step you take in formulating you own company’s Smart Manufacturing implementation roadmap.

Get Alan Weber's SEMICON West presentation now!

The Quality Software Engineering team at Cimetrix is dedicated to delivering the highest quality software products to all Cimetrix customers. The QE team works closely with the development engineers to plan and build sound, testable solutions in an agile working environment. Through rigorous testing and creative problem solving, we advocate for and build quality into our products. We accomplish this with a determined team that works hard to uphold high standards of both software functionality, and software structure.

The QE team is built from a wide range of engineering backgrounds and experience, from recent graduates to those with 10+ years of experience. This variety of talent provides an array of viewpoints, input, testing styles and product intuition that are crucial to Cimetrix delivering the best software in a competitive market.

This week we meet Ryoko Fukushima, Quality Engineering Team Lead. Read on to learn a little bit more about Ryoko.

How long have you worked at Cimetrix?

I have been with Cimetrix for 12 years.

What brought you to Cimetrix originally?

I was looking for a career where I could use my computer science degree and Japanese/English bilingual skills.

What do you like most about your job?

I really like that it's a small company with tight-knit employees. I like being able to have an impact on the culture and direction of the company, something that was missing from the larger companies I've worked for. 

What do you think it means to provide great Quality Engineering?

It takes more time to do things right, but it is a good investment for future growth because of the level of quality built into our products. 

What’s the biggest accomplishment you’ve had at Cimetrix?

Having worked in several departments including Sales & Marketing, Client Training & Support, and our Engineering team, I'm now bringing that experience  into my new position as QE Team Lead to build quality processes and products. 

How do you deal with challenges that come up at work?

By using teamwork to discuss the issue and look for a solution. We're able to get different opinions and points of view across by sharing the challenge and solving the problem together. 

What's something you’ve learned while working at Cimetrix?

Agile programming. When I joined Cimetrix I didn't know anything about Agile, all my experience previously was with Waterfall programming. By utilizing Agile programming it's easier to introduce fixes and new features into our products quickly. 

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

Topaz Mountain in southern Utah. I love to go rockhounding and camping!

What do you like to do in your free time?

I really enjoy Olympic weightlifting. My personal record is a 50 kilo snatch and a 66 kilo clean and jerk, and I continue training in a local Olympic weightlifting club.  

Meet Jesse Lopez, a member of the Solutions Engineering team. Read on to learn a little bit more about Jesse.

How long have you been working at Cimetrix?

I have worked at Cimetrix since August 2017             

Where did you go to school and what did you get your degree in?

I received my BS in Computer Science from National University.  I'm currently working towards my Masters in Computer Science at National University as well.  I also completed AEGIS Computer Network Training while in the Navy.  I also have an Associate's of Science from Utah State University. 

What brought you to Cimetrix originally?

I worked at IM Flash Technologies as an Engineering Technician.  After getting my Bachelor's in CS I saw a job posting with Cimetrix that perfectly fit my unique background. 

What do you like most about your job?

The satisfaction of solving problems with a proactive support team.

What do you think it means to provide great customer support?

I think that great customer support means listening to understand and not just to hear. Once you can fully understand the customers problem, then you can help provide an effective complete solution.

What’s the biggest accomplishment you’ve had at Cimetrix?

Being able to provide training to new team members and clients.

How do you deal with challenges that come up at work?

I try to use all of the resources I have to figure it out myself. If it is time sensitive or I have spent too much time on it then I will run it by the rest of the CT&S team.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

Sydney, Australia. 

What's something you’ve learned while working at Cimetrix?

Multi-threading and working with COM objects.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Spend time with my wife and three sons. I enjoy teaching my sons how to fix what they break and how to create what they imagine.

Meet Ian Ryu, a member of the Solutions Engineering team in Korea. Read on to learn a little bit more about Ian.

How long have you been working at Cimetrix?

I started in May 2016 and have been here for two years now. 

Where did you go to school and what did you get your degree in?

I got my BS in electronics/electrical engineering in Korea.

What brought you to Cimetrix originally?

Cimetrix was looking for an engineer who can speak Korean for the Korean market. 

What do you like most about your job? 

The people, especially our leadership team. I have strong trust and pleasure working with people here.
I also have strong confidence that I am improving my skills as a software engineer

What do you think it means to provide great customer support?

Making customers happy.  By doing that we will grow together for mutual success.

What’s the biggest accomplishment you’ve had at Cimetrix? 

Becoming a better engineer with my team. I’ve been learning and improving myself with them.

How do you deal with challenges that come up at work?

I've tried to develop myself for when these situations come up. I have colleagues who are experts in each product, too

What’s your favorite vacation spot? 

I enjoy camping with my family. We went to Mirror Lake and Goblin Valley in Utah many times.

What's something you’ve learned while working at Cimetrix?

Working with honest, hard-working people raises me up with relief

What do you like to do in your free time?