Semiconductor dice are arranged on a substrate such as a leadframe. Each semiconductor die is provided with electrically-conductive protrusions (such as electroplated pillars or bumps) protruding from the semiconductor die opposite the substrate. Laser direct structuring material is molded onto the substrate to cover the semiconductor dice arranged thereon, with the molding operation leaving a distal end of the electrically-conductive protrusion to be optically detectable at the surface of the laser direct structuring material. Laser beam processing the laser direct structuring material is then performed with laser beam energy applied at positions of the surface of the laser direct structuring material which are located by using the electrically-conductive protrusions optically detectable at the surface of the laser direct structuring material as a spatial reference.