TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE, 日月光半導體) on Saturday (Jan. 14) announced that it has been listed as a “lighthouse factory” by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
In a press release issued that day, ASE, a subsidiary of ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控), announced that its bumping factory in Kaohsiung has been inducted into the WEF's Global Lighthouse Network (GLN), which it defined as a "community of manufacturing sites and value chains that are leaders in the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) cutting edge technologies." ASE's Kaohsiung facility is among 18 GLN sites listed by the WEF on Jan. 13, placing it among the 132 leading manufacturers.
(ASE photo)
The term "bumping" refers to a method in the manufacturing of semiconductors in which bumps are placed on wafers before they are diced into individual chips. To streamline its manufacturing process and optimize production, the firm employed 4IR technologies, particularly AI-enabled processes, to increase output by 67% and reduced order lead time by 39%.
According to the WEF, through the integration of 4IR technologies, Lighthouse companies have achieved a "double-digit impact on throughput, costs, and lead times." At the same time, Lighthouse firms are demonstrating "how to scale advanced technologies across entire manufacturing networks and beyond towards suppliers and customers or new functions, such as procurement, logistics, and research and development," said Francisco Betti, WEF's Head of Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains.
(ASE photo)
In response to the selection, Wang Sung-fei, Senior Vice President, ASE Inc, Kaohsiung, said: "We are extremely excited to join the ranks of 132 leading companies in the Global Lighthouse Network. At ASE, advancing our competitiveness and seizing new opportunities across diverse disciplines are central to our quest for manufacturing excellence."
