TSMC Optimizes Tank Truck Filling Process, Reducing Driver Duty Time by 50% and Improving Transportation Safety

2021/12/16

Yi-sung Chiu

Y.C. Chang

W.C. Wang

Erin Chang

To fulfill the promise laid out in the "White Paper on Supplier Transportation Management", TSMC has proactively established a supplier transportation safety culture and continues to promote a friendly workplace. Through its “On-site Contractor Personnel Support Program” the Company has optimized both the wafer transportation process and the tank truck filling process, which not only shortens driver work time by 50%, but also reduces the risks caused by fatigued driving. , have benefited from this program, ensuring driver health as well as public transportation safety.

Contractors are important partners in achieving quality excellence at TSMC. Through continuous improvement of our quality control system and a safe contractor working environment, we create a win-win partnerships and ensure a safe and undisrupted supply of raw materials.

- M.D. Chen, Director of Corporate Analytical Laboratories at TSMC

Intelligent Filling Process to Enhance Tank Truck Transportation Efficiency and Driver Safety

The chemicals required by TSMC to manufacture wafers are transported by tank trucks to various fabs each day. As the truck filling process includes several , TSMC’s Quality and Reliability Organization and its Material Supply Chain Management Division have collaborated to conduct field inspections and interviews on daily operation since 2018 in an attempt to optimize drivers’ work conditions and procedures. Based on the results, TSMC implemented five major improvements in transportation efficiency, successfully shortening the filling process time by 50% and alleviating long waiting times for drivers. These improvements have been implemented in all 12-inch fabs in Taiwan and will be the standard for new fabs.

TSMC’s Five Major Improvements on Tank Truck Transportation Efficiency

Adhering to the concept of a mutually beneficial partnership with contractors, TSMC will continue to improve the availability of equipment in its fabs. The operation will be monitored by a dedicated team that will prevent filling operation delays due to equipment abnormalities, providing contractors with a better work environment.

TSMC's On-site Contractor Personnel Support Program

Phase / Target	Issue	Improvement	Implementation Fab	Completion Rate
Phase One Onsite Personnel who Provide Cleaning, Food, and Security Services	Lack of rest areas	Rest areas created in new fabs Conference rooms reserved as rest areas in existing fabs	All TSMC fabs in Taiwan	100%
		Personal cellphones are not allowed in the workplace due to fab regulations		Company-regulated mobile phones offered to all suppliers free of charge as needed
		Low participation in health checks among personnel on a shift system		The vendor badge system leveraged to achieve 100% participation rate of health checks	100%
Phase Two Tanker Truck Drivers	Filling wait time too long	Conducted Pressure-hold test before departure Added Auto-sampling system Added Auto-cleaning system Added Online detection system of liquid level Introduced Tank Separation / Flexible Data Management (For that perform pre-qual)	All 12-inch TSMC fabs in Taiwan	100%
		No access to personal mobile phones or rest areas during wait time	A lounge for tank truck drivers created	All TSMC fabs in Taiwan
					Drivers allowed to use their private mobile phones in specific areas of the lounge		100%
Freight Truck Drivers	Long delivery wait time	Delivery process reviewed and re-planned for each collection and delivery point A timetable for each collection and delivery point established for drivers to follow Parking spaces added and arrival/departure time of trucks scheduled			100%
Freight Truck Drivers		Pick-up delays due to failing to complete wafer packaging and related operations in time	Scheduled expansion of the existing packaging equipment and an automated warehouse management system to accelerate packaging and delivery operations			100%