Software gets dedicated to electronic cost analysis
For the development of electronics, an effective cost-analysis procedure is required. Especially when a group of specialists are involved, with each focusing on a single aspect of the design phase or module, such analysis becomes all the more imperative. With no dedicated software on the market however, such analysis proves next to impossible especially when comparative statistics are required. SimWitch is a module-building simulator designed as a "first approach" tool that evaluates all the costs involved in the production line in terms of time and cost. Additionally, it can perform both an analysis of each step and a cost sensitivity analysis. With its true-time simulation capacities, it is able to perform analysis on such functionalities as delays, throughput and bottlenecks. Both analyses are advantages the software offers that standard spreadsheets applications cannot account for. SimWitch has already been successfully implemented and tested in the FLIPAC and TRILAP Projects under the EC-funded GROWTH Programme. Part of the software's success might be attributed to the fact that the application utilises generic building blocks that are not restricted for a specific industry or application domain. Moreover, the success can also be attributed to the co-ordination aspect this software offers. Under the COMPETE project, the software has contributed towards the successful coordination and cross fertilisation of both information and results amongst the developers' partners. It therefore assists in creating an appropriate information environment to the R&D activities of Microelectronics Interconnection and Packaging.