We will explain you a bit about what each value stream is all about and how our employees are experiencing this innovative new way of working. Here we speak with Sanne Carabain, value stream manager at Mogema, about working within the value stream Large Frame Aluminum (LFA).

This value stream produces different types of large aluminum frames (max 4m x 2.6m x 0.9m). These are mainly intended for the extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines ASML uses to print microchips. Our team is responsible for everything related to the aluminum frames: Purchasing, quality, logistics, supporting new product introduction (NPI), and production (i.e. machining, benchworking, measuring, and cleanroom assembly of frames and components). Furthermore, we are required to achieve very high accuracy in milling and are able to reach an accuracy of up to a few hundredths of a millimeter.  

We have some challenges in terms of quality and delivery. With regard to quality, we still occasionally produce an aluminum frame that has a small deviation. Until now we have been able to repair those deviations every time, but of course we would prefer to do it right the first time. In terms of delivery, last year we were dealing with a demand reduction of around 60%, which had an impact on the whole team. However, as said above, we still believe that the semicon industry will grow in the coming years.

In the past, we were often more superficially involved when issues came up — jumping in reactively, without full context. Now that we are focused on Large Frames Aluminum, we manage the entire chain ourselves. That end-to-end ownership means that we can respond better to customer requirements. The team has also built up much deeper product-specific knowledge, which helps us not only solve problems quicker but also proactively prevent them. And production departments - machining, measuring, and assembly - now collaborate closely and take joint responsibility to meet the planning. The shift from individual department goals to shared goals across the value stream has made a real impact. The result? Fewer surprises for the customer, better understanding of potential issues, and more predictable deliveries.

The first phase of building our new factory in Dronten. The production process of our main machined parts will move from our location in ‘t Harde to Dronten, while cleanroom assembly will stay in ‘t Harde for now and move in the future. The new factory will be very different from the one we have in ‘t Harde, with a higher degree of automation and new production techniques. We also plan to continue to grow along with ASML and double in size in the coming years. The demand is now based on approximately 40-45 EUV systems, and the plan is to grow to 90 EUV systems in the coming years. We expect that the efficiency gains offered by both the new factory and the value stream approach will enable this growth and free up time for us to innovate further, become more sustainable, and deliver even more value to our customers.