20 October 2011

Eyelit’s MES software implemented at Stion’s thin-film PV panel facilities

Stion Corp of San Jose, CA, USA has implemented Eyelit’s Solar Edition manufacturing software to support the production ramp-up of its nanostructure-based CIGSSe (copper indium gallium sulphur-diselenide) thin-film photovoltaic modules at its facilities in San Jose and in Hattiesburg, MS (its first mass-production factory, opened in late September).

Eyelit Inc of Toronto, Canada provides manufacturing execution software (MES) for visibility, control, and coordination of manufacturing operations for the aerospace & defense, discrete electronics, semiconductor, and photovoltaic industries.

The strategic deployment of Eyelit’s software at Stion (which was completed in just 12 week) included the following features:

• complete traceability of solar panels from thin-film processing to fully assembled panel;
• WIP (work in process) tracking with integrated statistical process control (SPC) and data collection;
• unique user interfaces that are tailored without writing code for each production line area;
• equipment state tracking for management of preventative maintenance;
• automated data collection from factory tooling; and
• input of data by barcode scanning.

“We chose Eyelit’s Solar Edition because it provides us with a comprehensive set of modules built on a simple, but scalable architecture,” says Vijay Mani, director of IT, Stion. “Eyelit’s quick implementation uses fewer resources than other MES solutions I’ve worked with, and allows us to be self-sufficient within a short timeframe,” he adds. “Eyelit’s experience and success in the solar industry is also a key selling point for us.”

“Eyelit’s Solar Edition continues to gain market share as an MES solution for the photovoltaic industry. We have gained four new solar customers in the last four months,” says Eyelit’s VP of sales & marketing Dan Estrada. “To keep up with the demand, Eyelit is hiring aggressively in all areas of our business; we expect to increase company staff by about 30%,” he notes. “Eyelit’s targeted software bundle enables PV manufacturers, such as Stion, to quickly scale from a pilot stage to high-volume commercial production... Stion’s capital-efficient approach and robust technology makes it well-positioned to leverage our product to enable rapid growth.”

Tags: Eyelit MES Stion CIGSSe

Visit: www.eyelit.com