MANAGEMENT'S GREATEST OPPORTUNITY IN MATERIALS MANAGEMENT IS TO TURN STRATEGIC BUSINESS OBJECTIVES INTO WORKING SYSTEMS. HOWEVER, INSTALLING MATERIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (MMS) IN THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY HAS BEEN DIFFICULT AT BEST. IN THE END, THE MATERIAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WILL INTERACT WITH ALMOST EVERY ASPECT OF A SEMICONDUCTOR FACILITY. AS A RESULT, THERE ARE THREE MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS THAT MUST BE ENCOURAGED: THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, THE COMPUTER CONTROL SYSTEM, AND THE MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT. FROM A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE, AS CUSTOMER DEMAND OR PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY CHANGES, THE MMS MUST BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE PROCESS FLOW CHANGES ALMOST INSTANTLY. FROM A COMPUTER POINT OF VIEW, THESE SYSTEMS MUST PROVIDE DATA COLLECTION CAPABILITIES, GENERATE REPORTS OF EVERY KIND, AND PROVIDE A MIGRATABLE ARCHITECTURE. AND FINALLY, FROM A MATERIAL HANDLING POINT OF VIEW, THE SYSTEM MUST TRA