“Applied Cost Modeling” E-Zine Now on Web

PLEASANTON, Calif. - March 13, 2013 - PRLog -- Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. (WWK), the global leader in cost and productivity management software and consulting services, announced today that the latest edition of its much acclaimed free E-Zine “Applied Cost Modeling” (ACM) is now available on its web site at http://wwk.com/newsletter.html.  First published in 1994, ACM has been the mainstay for manufacturing and assembly industries in disseminating information on hot topics such as cost of ownership (COO), overall equipment efficiency (OEE), cost and resource evaluation, and discrete-event simulation.

The latest edition includes the feature article: “Manufacturing Cost Advantages of "Solar Breeder" Factories for Deployment in Utility Scale Solar Farms” and is presented as the first installment in a series.  This paper examines a new approach to module assembly based on the concept of supersized 1 kW modules.

Sadly, this edition of Applied Cost Modeling also announces the passing of the President of WWK's healthcare division, Mark Allen Stinson.  Mark’s passion was to help others and in doing so found himself surrounded by an ever-growing and large group of dedicated friends and colleagues.  He will be greatly missed.

Further information is provided on WWK’s latest paper to be published in Photovoltaics International edition 19 titled “When capacity buys are not an option: Technical trends in c-Si cell manufacturing and their implications.”  Also listed is a call for papers for the 9th International Conference on Modeling and Analysis of Semiconductor Manufacturing (MASM) 2013 to be held in Washington D.C.  Also, it has come to our attention that long time supporters of operational modeling, Lars Mönch, John W. Fowler, and Scott J. Mason, have a new book titled Production Planning and Control for Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication Facilities: Modeling, Analysis, and Systems.  The book can be found on Amazon at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1461444713/wrighwi...

Additionally, WWK’s 2013 survey on equipment and process timing in the semiconductor industry will be closing at the end of April.  The survey results will be consolidated and provided to all participants free of charge.  Participation in the survey is the only way to receive a full set of results.  The survey form can be downloaded from the WWK web site at: http://www.wwk.com/2013survey.pdf.

With more than 3,000 users worldwide, Wright Williams & Kelly, Inc. is the largest privately held operational cost management software and consulting company serving technology-dependent and technology-driven organizations. WWK maintains long-term relationships with prominent industry resources including SEMATECH, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), and national labs and universities. Its client base includes nearly all of the top 20 semiconductor manufacturers and equipment and materials suppliers as well as leaders in nanotechnology, micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), thin film record heads, magnetic media, flat panel displays (FPD), solid state lighting/light emitting diodes (SSL/LED), photovoltaics (PV), and healthcare.

WWK’s product line includes TWO COOL® for detailed process step level cost of ownership (COO) and overall equipment efficiency (OEE), PRO COOL® for process flow and test cell costing, Factory/Healthcare Commander® for full facility capacity analysis and activity based costing, Factory Explorer® for cycle time reduction and WIP planning, and TCOe™ for energy production project costs (cost/kilowatt-hour). Additionally, WWK offers a highly flexible product management software package that helps sales forces eliminate errors in product configuration and quotation processes.