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Want to know your customers? Then hire one |
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Nov 28, 2006 at 12:48 PM |
One way that a semiconductor equipment, materials, or subsystems vendor can show it is serious about listening to its chipmaker customers' needs and concerns is by employing quality people who have actually worked in and run fabs.
Although this may seem obvious to some, there is still a large percentage of supplier companies with a small percentage of former fabrats among their workforces. A prime example of getting closer to your customer base comes from Applied Materials, which brought on Intel exec Mike Splinter a couple of years back to run the company.
I just found out that Rudolph Technologies has picked chip industry vet Alex Oscilowski to be its chief operating officer. Alex was Sematech's VP of strategy before Rudolph lured him away. He has seen serious action in the fabs with Texas Instruments and Digital Semiconductor. (He was part of the team that ran Digital's storied Hudson, MA, fab before Intel bought it and learned a thing or three that tweaked the "copy exactly" model in some unexpected ways.) Alex also has some back-end equipment experience, from his days as president of Kulicke and Soffa.
After the merger with August, Rudolph has become an even-more-serious contender in the process control metrology and defect reduction/yield management space. Tapping Alex Oscilowski to run its operations gives the company another face card in its hand.
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