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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kumar Nathan who wrote (10546)	11/8/1997 5:42:00 PM
From: Big Bucks	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 70976

Kumar, Thanks for the reply. Another set of "issues" that have an influence on what equipment a fab purchases concerns the experiences of having dealt with an equipment vendor and their equipment, service, parts/consumable costs, and engineering assistance to resolve problems and improve yields. For example: 1. Does the fab have any prior equipment sets that give them confidence in the cost/performance area that the new equipment will meet their requirements? 2. Has the equipment vendor provided the necessary support in past equipment to insure success with a new equipment set with service or engineering support when required? Will it be necessary to re-stock a whole new inventory of parts etc or can parts from previous purchases help reduce initial costs. 3. Are the "consumable" costs reasonable to reduce overhead costs for process kit parts that exist for years after the equipment is purchased? 4. Does the equipment vendor have service/parts facilities close to the fab location (in state/ in country)to support the long term needs of the customer? 5. Is the equipment vendor committed to customer satisfaction to the point of absorbing some expenses to support the customer needs. There are many more. BB