Singapore-MIT Alliance
Summer Conference 2001
The two-day Programme was held in the Wong Auditorium in the Tang Center (E-51)
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Speaker
Andre Sharon Professor of Manufacturing Engineering, Boston University; Founder and Chairman, kSARIA Corporation
Abstract Towards a Manufacturing Equipment Infrastructure for the Optical Communication Industry
While the optical communication market is growing at a rapid pace, there is currently no equipment supplier infrastructure servicing the Industry. Without the creation of such an infrastructure the optical communication industry will not be able to meet its projected growth. This presented a tremendous opportunity that has led to the creation of kSARIA Corporation.
kSARIA is a well funded early-stage company focused on providing cutting-edge, standardized process automation equipment to the optical communication industry. Fiber-optic component manufacturing is currently highly labor-intensive, resulting in low yield and high manufacturing cost. Due to the very limited automation equipment supplier infrastructure servicing this market, the industry is having great difficulty ramping up production to meet the growing demand in volume. kSARIA is a "pure play" focusing on the back-end or fiber-interface segment of the market. Beginning in the 4th quarter of this year the company will begin shipping the first of a family of products that will fully automate the process of fiber-to-fiber attachment, fiber-to-device attachment, fiber preparation, fiber handling and packaging. These processes play a crucial role in the manufacture of most optical components, including amplifiers, transmitters, receivers, modulators, switches, DWDMs, couplers, and more. The market for automation equipment in this space is forecasted to reach $3-6 Billion by 2004.
Based on a modular architecture, kSARIA's equipment will be easily configurable at the factory to meet specific client applications, facilitating a high degree of custom process flow, without the expense of designing custom equipment for each application. These machines will greatly boost productivity and first-pass yield, resulting in a much reduced manufacturing cost per component. Funded in September of 2000, kSARIA has assembled a seasoned management team and a highly skilled engineering force. This, in conjunction with the founder's 7+ years of pioneering work in the automation of fiber optic components, is uniquely positioning kSARIA to become the dominant process automation supplier to this industry. The company has secured a beta-site agreement with a major fiber optic component manufacturer and is currently developing the manufacturing and service infrastructure to support full production shipments commencing the 4th quarter of this year.
Biography Professor Andre Sharon has accumulated over 18 years of experience, both industrial and academic, developing and deploying computer-controlled automation equipment for several industries, ranging from sub-micron, high-precision machinery for optoelectronics and semiconductor fabrication to high-speed assembly of consumer products. Prof. Sharon has led a large program aimed at cost reducing the manufacture of optoelectronic and fiber optic systems through the development of cost-effective packaging, pigtailing, and handling equipment. In September of 2000 he founded kSARIA Corporation, a well funded early-stage company focused on providing cutting-edge process automation equipment to the optical communication industry. As Director of the Fraunhofer Center for Manufacturing Innovation and Professor of Manufacturing Engineering at Boston University, Dr. Sharon works closely with faculty, students and engineers to develop next-generation manufacturing technologies for local and international clients. Drawing upon Fraunhofer's and Boston University's vast research base and working closely with industry, the Center goes beyond the scope of traditional academic research to develop and deploy actual working technologies all the way to the factory floor. Prior to joining Fraunhofer and Boston University, Prof. Sharon co-founded and ran the Manufacturing Institute at MIT. Additionally, he spent seven years at IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center and IBM's General Technology Division developing manufacturing machinery and test equipment for computer components. Prof. Sharon received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York.
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