We have partnered with our key customer in their innovation processes to optimise outcomes on their
production floor for back-end test for many years. As a leader in system test and handling solutions, our customised system integrates precise highspeed motion, innovative mechanical design, advanced programmable logic control, machine vision sophisticated graphical user interface design, reliable compliance communication protocols for mass volume manufacturing, and new technology development laboratories.

Customer Intimacy is in Our DNA

We started 2021 with concerted efforts to enable our key customer to successfully qualify and adopt our
two new platforms in their key manufacturing sites – the High-Density System Level Test and High-Density Burn-In solutions. As our customer pulled ahead with multiple new product launches on its advanced semiconductor nodes, we saw demand picking up in the first half of the year, with strong momentum spilling into the second half. These new products utilise both our legacy and new platforms, together with the related collaterals. 

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, we maximised our global resource deployment and
overcame many challenges, such as global supply chain disruption, labour shortages, and engineering schedules, in our quest to meet our key customer’s strong demand and steep production ramp. 

With a mindset to ensure our key customer’s success, we collaborated with our key customer to explore
creative solutions to meet project milestones ahead of schedule and enable high-volume manufacturing
prototypes in record time. We kept cadence to forge ahead with new development programmes and set up a New Product Introduction (NPI) Team in Malaysia to tap on talents in the region to serve our customer better.

Resilient Solutions, Systems, and Processes

As the pandemic dragged on and aggravate the material and labour shortages, we tapped on our global manufacturing sites and purchasing network to stay ahead to execute the production ramp with minimum disruption. Our immediate actions were to expand production capacity and increase headcount across our Singapore and Malaysia manufacturing sites. We expanded our global supply chain and partnered with our key customer and suppliers to secure material ahead of production build.

With the successful qualification of new platforms, we upskilled and equipped our Global Field Service
Engineering (FSE) Team to deploy our platform flawlessly across our key customer’s global sites. Our FSE Team continued to practice self-sufficiency and proliferate innovative virtual training across our global sites with the ongoing travel restrictions. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit us in 2020, we initiated a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) based on lessons learned from the previous SARS outbreak. We are glad that our BCP, Safe Management, and Supply Chain Resilience initiatives were highly recognised by our key customer who awarded us the prestigious “Supplier Achievement Award: COVID-19 Response”. We also received a special award to acknowledge our “Commitment to Software Excellence”.

The Quest for Success

As we wrapped up 2021, we were honoured to receive the Singapore Business Review Management
Excellence Awards for Team of the Year. From executing products in a highly coordinated manner to
synchronised product implementation, our Teams are agile in adapting to new strategies and processes and resilient in the face of challenges, especially over the past two years.

As we sprint into 2022, we expect our key customer to carry over the strong momentum to expand our new platforms to multiple sites and with continued demand for consumables and spares over the lifetime
of our equipment. We will continue to build on our close partnership to explore new business and technology collaborations in our quest for success together. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Seah Boon Seng
Senior Director, Key Account