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Reference Story controlling hvac* at smic’s plants Vacon is gaining ground in the semiconductor industry in China through its long-term strategy China has a huge semiconductor industry to meet global needs for integrated circuits (IC). Most of the well-known semiconductor manufacturers use Vacon AC drives in the HVAC systems at their plants. It all started with the first customer, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) headquartered in Shanghai. Established in 2000, SMIC is one of the leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and most advanced foundry on the Chinese mainland, providing IC foundry and technology services for a broad range of nodes from 0.35 μm to 40 nm. SMIC has built six factories on one site in Shanghai and employs some 7,000 people there. High standards for HVAC equipment and air quality The semiconductor industry sets very strict standards for the equipment it uses, and AC drives are no exception. The simple reason for this is that all the equipment has to operate all round the clock and right through the year so as to keep the production environment, and consequently the product quality, stable. The quality of the air in the workshops is strictly controlled and must be maintained to a high standard in respect of the temperature, humidity, pressure, flow rate and cleanness. Any failure in the HVAC equipment would result in production losses costing thousands of dollars. The quality of the air is even more important than energy savings. Outstanding reliability, performance and durability Vacon China identified a huge demand for AC drives in the semiconductor industry and delivered the first drives to SMIC in 2004. At that time competing brands of AC drives were running at SMIC’s factories and at the other major semiconductor plants. Through a partner, however, Vacon China succeeded in supplying around 40 AC drives to control all the exhaust fans at SMIC’s new plant in Shanghai. The Vacon AC drives have demonstrated their durability and ability to perform in a demanding environment with high requirements. Vacon’s partner Shanghai Okon provides on-site maintenance round the clock, seven days a week to ensure unbroken production at the plant. This is highly appreciated by Mr Zhang, Facility Manager at SMIC. “We are very satisfied with the durability of the Vacon drives. All the drives have been running continuously for more than seven years without any failures. In addition, Shanghai Okon provides a professional technical support and maintenance service for us, which greatly improves our production efficiency and brings significant savings in operational costs,” says Mr Zhang. Vacon the preferred choice when retrofitting SMIC has also chosen about 60 Vacon AC drives for its factories in Chengdu and Wuhan. When replacing any failed drives at the plants, SMIC has selected Vacon as its preferred choice. The efforts of Shanghai Okon are paying off and an increasing share of the drives at SMIC’s factories in Shanghai are Vacon AC drives. Many other major semiconductor compaines have followed SMIC’s example by building similar factories in Eastern China and have chosen Vacon AC drives. With its long-term strategy, Vacon has become an industry benchmark and will increase its market share in the semiconductor industry in the coming years. SMIC in brief Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) is headquartered in Shanghai, China. SMIC has a 300 mm wafer fabrication facility (fab) and three 200 mm wafer fabs at its Shanghai mega-fab, two 300 mm wafer fabs in its Beijing mega-fab, a 200 mm wafer fab in Tianjin, and a 200 mm fab under construction in Shenzhen. SMIC has customer service and marketing offices in the USA, Europe, Japan and Taiwan, and a representative office in Hong Kong. SMIC also manages and operates a 300 mm wafer fab in Wuhan owned by Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation. When retrofitting at SMIC’s plant, Vacon is regarded as the preferred AC drive brand. *HVAC = Heating, ventilation and air conditioning. ** μm = micrometre, one-millionth of a metre; nm = nanometre, a billionth of a metre Tel. +358 (0)201 2121 Fax +358 (0)201 212 205 www.vacon.com [email protected] RS000150A Vacon Group Runsorintie 7, 65380 Vaasa, Finland