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Events Calendar SEC/N Member Conference Update - July 13-14, 2006 Click here to view photos from the event For the past seven years, SEC/N has hosted a Conference following SEMICON West. Consistent with their efforts to provide more value to our member companies, SEC/N’s Board of Directors limited this year’s Conference to only SEC/N member companies. As a result, the attendance was lower than in past years but the Conference was very well received by those companies that did attend. The Conference was held at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in downtown San Francisco. The Conference opened with a reception at 5:30 PM on Thursday (7/13) sponsored by AECI. Tim Hayden, SEC/N’s President, welcomed everyone to the Conference, followed by a sit down steak and salmon dinner. Additional member company sponsors of this year’s Conference were AG Semiconductor, who sponsored Friday’s luncheon, and Foresight Processing, who was a speaker sponsor. SEC/N greatly appreciates the support of all our members, especially those companies who step forward to help sponsor various programs and events. Thursday evening’s after dinner speaker was Mr. Gerry Fedchun, the President and director of the Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association. Mr. Fedchun’s presentation included a very interesting overview of the automotive parts business. The evolution of the automobile industry’s pre-owned market included many similar scenarios to today’s evolution of the semiconductor secondary market for manufacturing equipment. The semiconductor industry would do well to benchmark industries like the automobile industry when it comes to the aftermarket requirements for parts and software. In the long run, substituting licensing for litigation would be of benefit to all concerned. The SEC/N Member Conference resumed on Friday morning with another excellent overview of the semiconductor market from Semico Research. Semico’s Vice President, Mr. Bob Merritt, cautioned that the expected downturn in the semiconductor market in 2006 is coming faster than expected. He went on to forecast that the outlook for the used equipment business continues to look good given the increased global interest in “flexibility” and “versatility” of 200mm and under technologies. Friday’s afternoon session included a second guest speaker, Mr. L.T. Guttadauro, the Executive Director of the Fab Owners Association. Mr. Guttadauro’s presentation covered the history, objectives, and membership of the Fab Owners Association. The “FOA” currently has 14 member “end user” companies and 19 associate member companies / organizations. While the FOA does have a formal network for marketing their used equipment, their primary purpose is “to discuss and act on common manufacturing issues, combining strengths and resources to become more competitive.” In summary, SEC/N and the Fab Owners Association will continue to look for ways to work together in those areas of importance to both organizations. The majority of Friday’s Conference agenda focused on the future of SEC/N. Mr. Tim Hayden initiated the session with a “State of SEC/N” presentation that included proposals from SEC/N’s Board of Directors on future programs, contracts, membership considerations and fees. A very candid discussion followed which resulted in both enhanced suggestions to the Board’s proposals and other additional recommendations. The Board of Directors thanked the attendees for their input and the Conference was adjourned at 1:45 PM. The Board of Director’s met directly following the Conference to address both these and other items on their agenda. Minutes of all Board Meetings are posted under the “Members Only” section of the SEC/N website site (www.secn.org). One of the suggestions coming out of the Conference has resulted in a decision to limit SEC/N’s post SEMICON West venue next year to a gala social event on Thursday evening, July 19th. Please mark your calendars now and plan to remain in San Francisco after the Show ends on Thursday. |
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