Redefining the Test Equipment Supply Chain: The Open Architecture Revolution

As the automated test industry begins embracing the open architecture environment, equipment suppliers and their customers will need to evolve equipment development methodologies to fully benefit from the emerging business model. The development of standards in the equipment industry allows suppliers to share in the cost of establishing basic infrastructural framework elements, releasing valuable resources to focus on development of distinctive, valueadded technologies and services. Already a very competitive and financially unhealthy industry, the test equipment market will benefit from lowering the cost to deliver solutions to their customers. As a result, end users will benefit from increased innovation, more valuable capital assets, and reduced re-engineering. Open architecture has evolved from vision to reality with the release of the Semiconductor Test Consortium’s OPENSTAR specification to the industry. With open standards, end users now have the ability to strategically manage the sustainability and extendibility of their fleet through a pipeline of module developments with traditional equipment suppliers and third-party developers for hardware and software solutions. With a more stable capital equipment fleet, end users can eliminate the cost and resource investments related to re-engineering and maintaining multiple solutions for similar problems and concentrate on improving their test processes, developing strategic supplier relationships, and innovating breakthrough technologies. This paper illustrates the transformation of the supply chain to leverage the benefits of an open architecture. We focus on the structural challenges faced by the test ∗ Other brands and names are the property of their respective owners. equipment industry, demonstrate why the steps that have been taken are insufficient, and how open architecture can benefit the supply base as well as the customers.