divya manian wrote, [on 4/11/2008 7:42 AM]:
At Intel's advanced-chip plants, normal
consistency doesn't cut it: The company even
copies the air in the room
<http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1194591355141180.xml&coll=7>
Isnt this what McDonalds does to every franchise that opens up around
the world for their staple recipes?
Um, no. One immediate counterexample I can think of: You can't get very
much more "staple" in the McD context than the Big Mac (i.e, one big
hunk of industrially harvested beef in a roll). You don't get that in
India, for example.
As for why this is unique, see below.
ss wrote, [on 4/11/2008 8:42 AM]:
> Actually this sounds like typical corporate propaganda via an
advertorial, of
> which one sees a lot in unexpected places and ways.
Yes and no.
"Copy exactly" is primarily a means of *transferring technology*.
Setting up a fab is so expensive (the new one in Oregon cost $3B to set
up) and the opportunity costs of delay or improper technology transfer
are so high, that one tends to go to great lengths to find a system that
works well. Here [1] is a good overview of the process and the thinking
behind it. From the link:
Copy EXACTLY! Philosophy
Stated in its simplest form, “everything which might affect
the process, or how it is run” is to be copied down to the
finest detail, unless it is either physically impossible to do
so, or there is an overwhelming competitive benefit to intro-
ducing a change.
I recommend reading the document in its entirety.
Disclosure: I work for Intel, but these are my personal views.
Udhay
[1] ftp://download.intel.com/technology/itj/q41998/pdf/copyexactly.pdf
--
((Udhay Shankar N)) ((udhay @ pobox.com)) ((www.digeratus.com))
