[labnetwork] Cleanroom garments - Costs escalating

[Tony L Olsen]

Vince, et al.

This was a question we pondered for a while as we moved into our new facility a few years ago.  We had previously inherited some polyester cleanroom garments from a local semiconductor facility and were using them in the old lab - primarily to let the lab members get used to the idea.  Since it was not much of a cleanroom, we just had them laundered locally.

As we moved to the new facility, we considered what our current and future customers would expect for a Class 100 cleanroom.  Although disposables were intriguing, we opted for a rental/laundry agreement.  One of our challenges with disposables was lack of storage space and risk of supply shortages.  I'm also not very comfortable with the lack of traction for the boots.  Anyway, we went with a rental/laundry agreement.  We launder every 2 weeks, which lowered the cost considerably.  (Most users don't spend enough time in the lab to warrant a weekly clean.  Those who do can replace their garments, as needed.)

With that said, we are ready to change vendors and I fear I may have a situation similar to what Berkeley explained.  My vendor has not been very responsive or customer oriented.  As we move to a different approach, I may reconsider disposables.  I have also stumbled across an option where I can finance the purchase of the garments and set up a separate agreement with a laundry service.  That should give me complete control over replacements and repairs.  At that point I can purchase replacements as needed, without the need for additional financing.

BTW, I do keep some disposables on hand for construction-type work - anything that may damage the rented garments.

tonyO


Tony Olsen
Nanofab Cleanroom Supervisor/Process Engineer
University of Utah
36 S Wasatch Dr, Suite 2500
Salt Lake City,  UT  84112
801-587-0651 office
801-587-3077 fax
www.nanofab.utah.edu<http://www.nanofab.utah.edu/>





From: Luciani, Vincent (Fed) [mailto:Vincent.Luciani at nist.gov]
Sent: Friday, May 12, 2017 06:58
To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
Subject: [labnetwork] Cleanroom garments - Costs escalating

Hello LabNetwork,

A new problem has come up for us and we have not been able to resolve the issue with the vendor.  The contractor is adamant in discarding and charging us for stained or damaged garments at a startling frequency.  The cost associated with this have become prohibitively expensive and prominent on my radar screen.
I now have an opportunity to rethink that arrangement which is a fleeting opportunity for me simply due to the bureaucracy and lead time associated with the government acquisition requirements.

Current practice:
Our cleanroom is class 100 and since our beginning (10 years ago),  we have gone the conventional route of contracting with a vendor to supply and launder our Gore-Tex garments (bunny suits, hoods, booties, frocks).  Currently, we collect all garments every Friday so users get a fresh set weekly.  We have about 100 different users weekly so swap out about 100 hoods/suits/booties per week.

So, I will take this opportunity to reach out to the collective wisdom of the LabNetwork to see how others have contained the costs of cleanroom garments.

Thanks,

Vince


Vincent K. Luciani
NanoFab Manager
Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology<http://www.cnst.nist.gov/>
National Institute of Standards and Technology
100 Bureau Drive, MS 6201
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-6200 USA
+1-301-975-2886






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