Daniel Hall, Progressive Technologies, Inc., Tewksbury, MA, USA

A means to reduce energy consumption while improving both operator safety and product yield is discussed. Furthermore, details of a simple, reliable, fail-safe system for reducing the overall flow of air through the facility are given. 

A. WELLS, Siemens Microelectronics Ltd., Newcastle on Tyne, UK

As time to market and product life cycles become progressively shorter, ref [1], the focus on a fast tool Hook-up to provide an opportunity for early first silicon is becoming even more critical. With a depressed semiconductor market situation however, the reduction of capital expenditure is the primary focus, ref [2]. The goal of this article is to understand the underlying processes involved in Hook-up and optimise them to provide the "best practice", lowest cost and time solution. The article will also disprove the current paradigm that high speed necessarily means high cost, and the following text summarises the method for the much more detailed study undertaken this year.

M. EL-MASHALEH, Royal Corps of Engineers, Jordan Armed Forces, Jordan
DR. A.D. CHASEY, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

One of the most important challenges facing construction project managers today is controlling cost and schedule overruns. Cleanroom projects with their associated aggressive schedules and budget limits present management with the tremendous task of tracking resources and developing timely and efficient schedules. A cost and schedule control system must be devised to deliver these projects successfully on time and within budget. Based on a research survey conducted among twenty-two construction management professionals involved in cleanroom construction from general contracting companies and construction management firms, this article defines how construction cost and schedule controls for cleanroom facility projects are accomplished and identifies the keys for effective construction cost and schedule control.