Making Microchips: Policy, Globalization, and Economic Restructuring in the Semiconductor Industry (Urban and Industrial Environments)

Rating:
Summary: Clean manufacturing, or not?
Review: I didn't want to like this book. The cover copy led me to expect a one-sided attack on the semiconductor industry's claims of clean manufacturing. Instead, I found a clear discussion of the difficult balance between the public interest and the needs of a constantly evolving industry. Semiconductor manufacturers regularly change manufacturing processes, shift production between countries, and even (through foundries) transfer production to entirely different companies. All of these characteristics complicate traditional environmental regulation based on clearly defined lists of pollutants from clearly defined sources. Meanwhile, the industry's sometimes obsessive secrecy, though justified by competitive pressures, complicates community relations and can hamper more flexible regulatory approaches.

In some cases, Mazurek's lack of semiconductor manufacturing expertise shows. For example, she repeats without comment the contention of environmental groups that water too dirty for wafer manufacturing is, of necessity, unfit for human consumption. In other instances, the existing regulatory structure itself leads to potentially misleading analysis. For example, Department of Commerce statistics on semiconductor shipments do not clearly distinguish between US-manufactured chips and US-designed chips manufactured outside the US, making it difficult to tell whether declines in toxic releases are due to cleaner manufacturing or simply to production transfers.

These complaints are merely quibbles, though. Taken as a whole, Mazurek has composed an impressive and thought-provoking analysis. Environmental policy makers, manufacturing executives, and the citizens affected by their decisions could all learn something from this book.

Rating:
Summary: Environmental Issues More Than Anthing Else
Review: The first quarter of the book was extremely interesting and informative. She gave a basic overview of the semiconductor industry, and included reasonable comparisons and predictions. She included an abundance of information and research on possible environmental issues that could arise from semiconductor manufacturing. As I began reading, I prepared myself for a slamming of the industries' "clean manufacturing" procedures. However, I was pleased to discover that her analysis was well thought out, and presented in an unbiased fashion. I would have liked to see more analysis in terms of the economic implications/costs, either micro or macro, associated with restructuring the industry into a "cleaner state." In review, this book was informative, and helpful in presenting underlying environmental issues associated with the semiconductor industry.