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?

Answer Options Response Percent Academic/Research 6.4% Aerospace 6.4% Biotechnology 8.6% Food And Beverage 0.7% Life Sciences 2.9% Manufacturing 14.3% Medical Device 13.6% Microelectronics 0.7% Nanotechnology 2.1% Packaging 0.0% Pharmaceutical 24.3% Semiconductor 3.6% Validation Or Quality Assurance 7.1% Other (please specify) 9.3%

“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%
Cleanroom Components (flooring, walls, ceilings)	56.4%
Cleanroom Services (outside cleaning companies, consultants, designers/engineers, etc.)	45.7%
Consumables (wipers, swabs, etc.)	73.6%
Critical Cleaning Products (cleaning spray, dry fog systems, etc.)	50.7%
Furniture (chairs, cabinets, etc.)	55.7%
Monitoring/Instrumentation systems (particle counters, facility monitors, etc.)	65.7%
Other (please specify)	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%
An in-house, dedicated cleaning staff	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.”