SEMICON West 2003 Features Fab Managers Forum on July 17

Full Day Seminar Hosted by SEMI, International SEMATECH and the SIAThe inaugural SEMICON West Fab Managers Forum -- featuring expert advice from leading device makers and equipment suppliers on strategies and techniques for enhancing manufacturing productivity -- will be held Thursday, July 17.The forum, which focuses on the theme "Current and Future Trends in Semiconductor Manufacturing" is organized by SEMI and co-hosted by International SEMATECH, and the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). The event is part of the week’s activities at SEMICON West, the largest exposition of semiconductor equipment, materials and services in North America, which opens July 14 in San Francisco, continuing July 16 in San Jose. "The Fab Managers Forum affords a unique opportunity to learn the latest trends and strategies for improving semiconductor factory productivity and effectiveness," said Vicki Hadfield, president of SEMI North America. "Dialogue between chipmakers and suppliers is essential to ensure that all participants in the supply chain benefit from advances in manufacturing technology."Representatives from leading IDMs including Intel and Advanced Micro Devices and equipment suppliers such as Applied Materials, Brooks-PRI Automation, Canon and Tokyo Electron Ltd will share their knowledge on strategies and techniques to improve productivity in the wafer fab.The program is divided into four sessions. The first covers "Mega Trends in Semiconductor Manufacturing"; Session II focuses on "Strategies for Enhanced Manufacturing Productivity"; Session III will look at "Issues in Advanced Manufacturing"; and the final session is a panel discussion on the topic of "Strategies, Challenges and Successes in Factory Automation Integration."Opening remarks for the forum will be given by Kamal Aggarwal, Executive Vice President, National Semiconductor Corp. He will be followed by keynote speaker, William Siegle, Senior Vice President and Chief Technologist, Advanced Micro Devices Inc.SEMI has hosted a similar Fab Managers Forum in Europe for the past several years, held in conjunction with SEMICON Europa. The success of the European program prompted the establishment of a similar event for SEMICON West. The full day forum will be held at National Semiconductor’s facility in Sunnyvale, California, starting 8.30 a.m.For more information about the Fab Managers Forum visit the SEMICON West 2003 website at www.semi.org/semiconwest, or call SEMI Customer Service at 1.408.943.6901. Qualified journalists wishing to attend the forum must pre-register for media accreditation. Contact Jennifer Blatt, SEMI Public Relations at 1.408.943.7988 (jblatt@semi.org).Based in San Jose, Calif., SEMI is an international industry association serving more than 2,500 companies participating in the semiconductor and flat panel display equipment and materials markets. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit SEMI on the Internet at www.semi.org.