*AV* I forgot that I was going to answer as many private messages as possible here<GG>
Andrew - Any thoughts on ASYT? Last plunge, or more trouble ahead.
Last Plunge. I think the fabs are starting to fill up and the foundries are starting their cycle of putting it to their customers<GGG>. At this juncture, we are at teh very beginnings of a build cycle within the industry. When everyone starts to line up and find their place in the line, some will be forced to alternative sources of improving yield and capacity. ASYT offers this opportunity. While this is not to be construed as their primary core business or their salvation, it will increase their present activity levels handsomely. This will get ASYT back on track.
ASYT suffers from a feast, famine, frustration complex. When their is famine, they are almost a skeleton, when their is feast, they can't handle it, which leads to frustration. Their business is not gradual or even slightly incremental but rather step function. One evaluation order is gradual or incremental but a production order is step function. A new program consumes most of their resources and then they have problems taking on new jobs. they really need their business staggered, which rarely happens.
So, when we are in a period of flux, like now, any piecemeal projects they get are a blessing. They have the ability to help companies get over an initial hurdle until full retrofits, new fabs, or new equipment is purchased. If nothing else, putting SMIF indexers or Arms along with minienvironments on litho tools like steppers, resist coaters and developers, can improve yield and capacity.
A 5% improvement is very conservative so a 4000 wafer output fab can deliver 5% more die on 4000 wafers per week, or the eqivalent of 200 more wafers output. Believe me, this is significant.
Andrew |
