BOC Edwards Installs FabWorks32 Vacuum/Abatement Monitoring System at Infineon, Dresden; 1500-Pump Monitoring System is BOC Edwards' Largest Networked Facility in the World.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Managing an entire system of over 1500 vacuum pumps as well as multiple exhaust management systems in a manufacturing environment where downtime can rise above tens of thousands of dollars per hour is a challenge that has been successfully met by monitoring and reporting specialists at BOC Edwards.

BOC Edwards, a global supplier of materials, equipment and services to microelectronics manufacturers, has recently completed installation of FabWorks32, a fabwide vacuum and exhaust management monitoring system, at the new 300 mm Infineon chip manufacturing facility in Dresden, Germany.

FabWorks 16 has been monitoring Infineon's 200 mm fab for over 6 years, keeping tabs on nearly 1000 vacuum pumps. Equipment parameter status, alerts and other critical information can be monitored from a personal computer, eliminating the need for service engineers to physically inspect each pump on the floor.

When Infineon built their new 300mm facility, BOC Edwards' FabWorks 32 system was installed. The network can be viewed across the Infineon LAN, allowing LAN users to view the system by accessing the internet browser on a PC. The two networks are now linked, with the ability to monitor nearly 1500 pumps simultaneously.

Infineon encourages its suppliers to monitor their equipment remotely via the web (through a secure internet connection). Hence, BOC Edwards is now using this tool to remotely monitor its pump and exhaust management systems at the two Dresden fabs.

"This networking capability means our equipment specialists all over the world can take a more proactive approach to equipment management. And, they are now capable of identifying and solving problems that historically would have called for on-site support," said Brian Emslie, business development director-process enabling technologies. "This is BOC Edwards' first remote e-diagnostic installation for vacuum and abatement equipment, and we are excited about the cost savings and improvements in service that we can offer our customer-as well as improved uptime."

Editor Background

InfineonTechnologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions for the automotive and industrial sectors, for applications in the wired communications markets, secure mobile solutions as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon operates in the US from San Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore and in Japan from Tokyo. In fiscal year 2003 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 6.15 billion with about 32,300 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol:IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.

BOC Edwards, part of The BOC Group plc, is a leading supplier of materials, process-enabling subsystems and services to fabs and OEMs involved in the manufacture of microelectronics devices. Serving two million customers in more than 50 countries, The BOC Group is one of the largest and most global of the world's leading gases companies, with annual sales of over GBP 4.3 billion (more than US $7 billion) in 2003. Information on the BOC Group can be accessed by visiting the Group web site, www.boc.com. Specific information on BOC Edwards can be accessed directly on www.bocedwards.com or e-mail: [e-mail].