?1. Cleanroom Forum Saar? successfully launched with its premiere

?1. Cleanroom Forum Saar? successfully launched with its premiere

With an unexpectedly large number of participants, the first CleanroomForumSaar started from 0 to 100. Over 70 participants gathered on September 24, 2009, in Saarbrücken for the event, which was organized by the companies BECKER Cleanroom Technology, WZB gGmbH, and Cleanroom Technology Jochem in collaboration with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Saarland and the Saarland Pharmacists' Chamber.

The attendees came from the fields of medical device manufacturing, the pharmaceutical industry, and pharmacies. They traveled from Dresden, Celle, Ahnsbeck, Elmshorn, Bahlingen, Markgröningen, Strasbourg, and many other cities.

The healthcare sector in Saarland is a very dynamic environment, not least due to the networking of companies within the clusters "Healthcare" and "Medical Technology." This is supported by the Saarland Chamber of Industry and Commerce's Center for Productivity and Technology (ZPT) and was the foundation of the Cleanroom Forum.

The organizers of the 1st CleanroomForum Saar wanted to contribute to the further development of this dynamism and organized the event for the first time.

Who are these organizers?
This group includes the ZPT Center for Productivity and Technology Saar e.V., the companies Becker Cleanroom Technology from Saarbrücken, WZB gGmbH from Spiesen, and Cleanroom Technology Jochem from Neunkirchen.

ZPT: Partner of the economy for information dissemination, consulting, qualification, innovation, and market development
Becker Cleanroom Technology: Planning, construction, and full-service of turnkey cleanrooms
WZB: Manufacturing, decontamination, and sterilization of cleanroom clothing
Cleanroom Technology Jochem: Specializing in cleanroom and hygiene training.
The last three companies have been working successfully together within the CleanRoomNet network for years.

Cleanroom technology, especially in the pharmaceutical industry and medical device manufacturing, is characterized by dynamism and constantly increasing technical requirements. Flexibility and cost reduction are indispensable, even vital, in these areas. The CleanroomForum served both to inform about current trends and developments and to facilitate exchange of ideas among participants.

The event took place at the CFK Event Hall: Center for Leisure and Communication in Spiesen-Elversberg, which provided a beautiful setting for the event.

Initially, participants were given insights into the cleanroom and sterilization areas of WZB: a tour through WZB's cleanroom landscape marked the start of the forum early in the afternoon. Led by specialists Dietmar Backes, Thomas Philippi, Diane Petereit from production, and Michael Schepp and Daniel Cavelius from sales, participants learned the ABCs of cleanroom clothing. From manufacturing cleanroom clothing, through decontamination for reuse, to sterilizing already decontaminated clothing for all ISO EN 14644-1 classes, attendees could get detailed explanations. Dirk Steil from BECKER Cleanroom Technology explained the structure of the cleanroom and energy-optimized plant technology.

At around 4:00 PM, Gerd Martin, head of the "Healthcare Saarland" cluster, welcomed the forum participants to the 1st CleanroomForum Saar in the event hall.

The following topics were on the agenda:
Energy Efficiency in the Cleanroom - Requirements for an energy efficiency analysis, speaker: Dipl.-Ing. Walter Ritz, TÜV Süd, Nuremberg.
Manufacturing of Sterile Medical Devices - Regulatory requirements, speaker: Carlo Mascia, MT Promedt Consulting, St. Ingbert.
Building a Container Laboratory - GMP-compliant planning and operation of a quality control facility for processing high-quality pharmaceuticals, speakers: Dr. Christian Perlick, Dr. Lars Tausch, Phast GmbH.
The Pharmacy of Tomorrow - Cytostatic production and blistering: concepts from a cleanroom perspective, speaker: Dirk Steil, Becker Cleanroom Technology GmbH, Saarbrücken.

Dipl.-Ing. Walter Ritz from TÜV Süd in Nuremberg demonstrated ways to prepare an energy efficiency analysis in the cleanroom to achieve maximum cost-effectiveness for the user. Mr. Ritz showed an example of such an inspection process. First, a current state analysis is performed. All cost types such as utilities, production design, process equipment, and existing energy supply contracts must be examined before concepts for energy savings can be identified and implemented. This topic will remain vital for the industry in the long term.

In the second point of the agenda, manufacturing sterile medical devices, Dipl. Chem. Carlo Mascia from MT Promedt Consulting, St. Ingbert, guided participants through the jungle of national and European regulations necessary to enable the production of medical devices. He placed particular emphasis on updates in the Medical Devices Act and the implications for manufacturers.

The topic of building a containment laboratory (GMP-compliant planning and operation of a quality control facility for handling highly active pharmaceuticals) was explained by Dr. Christian Perlick and Dr. Lars Tausch, Phast GmbH, Homburg. They informed guests about the legal requirements and structural standards that must be considered to obtain approval for such a laboratory operation. The safety measures to ensure personnel protection played a significant role here. As an example, they used their own project for pharmaceutical analytics in Homburg.

Dirk Steil from Becker Cleanroom Technology GmbH in Saarbrücken provided interested listeners with a picture of the pharmacy of tomorrow from a cleanroom technology perspective. Mr. Steil showed how pharmacies are positioning and differentiating themselves today to remain competitive under cost pressures in healthcare.
Today, the production of cytostatics, secondary blistering of patient medication, and even cosmetics manufacturing are shaping the future for an increasing number of pharmacists. The prerequisite is that production takes place under cleanroom conditions. In his presentation, Mr. Steil outlined, with examples, what such a production facility might look like. For the attending pharmacists, it was of great interest to learn about the organizational, spatial, and financial measures involved.

The event concluded harmoniously with lively discussions, finger food buffet, and drinks at the CFK Sports Bar. Some participants took the opportunity to stay overnight at the CFK hotel.

After this positive summary, it can only be said: the 1st CleanroomForum Saar was a huge success according to all guests, and it should be continued next year. Preparations are already underway.