Controlled Environments surveyed its readers to find out what’s trending in the cleanroom business. Here are the full results of the “Trends” portion of our survey, which asked questions about cleanroom facilities, equipment and supplies, inspections, and purchasing.
Click here to read a summary of the entire Cleanroom Trends and Salary Survey: http://www.cemag.us/articles/2015/05/cleanroom-trends-and-salary-survey
Click here to read the full results of the Salary portion of the survey: http://www.cemag.us/articles/2015/05/full-results-cleanroom-salary-survey
Question: What is the primary field of work performed in your facility?
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“Other” responses include: cancer research, environmental, consulting, blending of lube oil, senior services, instrument development, odor control and applying disinfectants, distribution, architecture, construction, cleanroom instrumentation manufacturer and services, biopharmaceuticals, and field service and consulting.
Question: In what type of condition is your facility?
| Answer Options | Response Percent |
|---|---|
| New/Custom build | 37.5% |
| Turnkey facility | 9.6% |
| Retrofitted facility | 52.9% |
Question: What is your facility’s foremost concern when purchasing equipment and supplies?
| Answer Options | Response Percent |
| Cost | 35% |
| Get the newest, most up-to-date models available | 7.9% |
| Longevity and quality of products | 45.7% |
| Products are manufactured using environmentally-conscious practices | 5% |
| Products are ethically made/made in USA | 0.7% |
| Other (please specify) | 5.7% |
“Other” responses include: Performance and fit for use; I have no facility; safety, longevity, quality of products, environmental; cost, longevity, and quality; cost and performance; quality; meets requirements for controlled environments; and consistency with equipment and supplies used at other company locations.
Question: What is your facility’s foremost concern when choosing a supplier/distributor for equipment and supplies?
| Answer Options | Response Percent |
|---|---|
| Commitment to environmentally-conscious practices and materials | 5.7% |
| Cost | 35.5% |
| Loyalty to the same company year after year | 10.6% |
| Offers only American-made products | 2.8% |
| Reputation/reviews | 25.5% |
| Wide selection of products/services | 9.2% |
| Other (please specify) | 10.6% |
“Other” responses include: a mixture of all of these things; historical performance record; I have no facility; compliance with regulatory requirements; degree of cybersecurity in place – re: database equipment relative to our purchases/strategic plans/counterproducts/etc.; ISO certified; safety, longevity, quality of products and environmental concerns; government-approved vendor; cost, distribution performance, and certifications/audit outcomes; quality; support (technical and other); certifications to applicable standards; follow-up service and maintenance; combination of cost and functionality and quality of product; and ethical reasons.
Question: What types of cleanroom equipment and supplies does your facility purchase? (check all that apply)
| Answer Options | Response Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attire (coveralls, face protection, shoe covers, etc.) | 69.3% | |||
| Benches and Enclosures (benches, isolators, gloveboxes, etc.) | 55.7% | |||
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45.7% | |||
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73.6% | |||
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50.7% | |||
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55.7% | |||
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65.7% | |||
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3.6% | |||
“Other” responses include: superpure deionized water production equipment; ptfe ULPA filters; laminar flow instruments, instruments like airflow prohood, and aerosol generators for filters leak test; and “none.”
Question: What type of cleanroom attire does your facility purchase most often?
| Answer Options | Response Percent |
|---|---|
| Single-use, disposable | 43.3% |
| Single-use, recyclable | 9.9% |
| Washable | 34% |
| N/A – we don’t purchase attire | 12.8% |
Question: How often does your facility purchase the following new equipment?
| Answer Options | More than once a year | Yearly | Every 2-5 years | Every 5-10 years | Response Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical cleaning equipment | 40 | 35 | 34 | 20 | 129 |
| Exhaust units/fume hoods | 7 | 15 | 36 | 68 | 126 |
| Filters | 58 | 43 | 21 | 12 | 134 |
| Gloveboxes/isolators | 21 | 20 | 22 | 55 | 118 |
| HVAC equipment | 9 | 17 | 37 | 64 | 127 |
| Vacuum cleaners/systems | 11 | 15 | 46 | 48 | 120 |
| Vibration/isolation equipment | 6 | 11 | 23 | 69 | 109 |
Question: How often are consumables and supplies re-stocked?
| Answer Options | Response Percent |
|---|---|
| Once a month | 57.9% |
| Four times a year | 22.1% |
| Twice a year | 11.4% |
| Once a year | 7.9% |
| Every 1-2 years | 0.7% |
| More than 2 years | 0% |
Question: Who cleans your facility?
| Answer Options | Response Percent | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| The same staff that works in the cleanroom | 42.4% | ||
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33.1% | ||
| An outside cleaning company | 24.5% | ||
Question: How often are inspections performed by an outside service?
| Answer Options | Response Percent |
|---|---|
| More than once a year | 35.1% |
| Yearly | 34.3% |
| Every 2-5 years | 21.6% |
| Every 5-10 years | 9% |
Question: What major cleanroom expenses are anticipated for the year ending Dec. 31, 2015? (check all that apply)
| Answer Options | Response Percent |
|---|---|
| Build an entirely new cleanroom facility | 21.7% |
| Complete overhaul of existing cleanroom facility | 14.5% |
| Inspection by an outside company | 26.8% |
| Major repair/renovation of existing cleanroom facility | 24.6% |
| New equipment purchase | 39.9% |
| Update or maintenance of existing equipment | 48.6% |
| Don’t know | 19.6% |
| Other (please specify) | 3.6% |
“Other” responses include: add dehumidifiers and humidifiers to the HVAC system; validation of cleaning processes may entail cleanroom renovation; and “none.”
