Happy Birthday CleanRoomNet

Fig. 1: "1st Saarland Cleanroom Day 2015 - Topic: Technical Cleanliness"

Fig. 2: "Demo The Pure 4.0 at the Lounges 2020 in Karlsruhe"

Fig. 3: "Network founder Paul Jochem and Dirk Steil online at the first CleanRoomNet Tuesday on February 23, 2021"

Fig. 4: Fun is a must! A beer after a successful trade fair 2023

A reason to celebrate is the CleanRoomNet (www.cleanroomnet.de), which was founded in March 2005: it will be celebrating its 20th birthday in 2025.

The network was originally founded by Paul Jochem. He was employed at the company WZB in Spiessen-Elversberg in Saarland and built up a division for cleanroom technology there, which to this day deals with the manufacturing and decontamination/sterilization of cleanroom clothing. Paul Jochem's vision – now in well-deserved retirement – was clear: to find interested companies in the cleanroom sector that want to exchange ideas and develop innovations together in topics and technologies related to cleanrooms. He quickly found another network partner in Saarland: Dirk Steil, Managing Director of BECKER Reinraumtechnik in Saarbrücken, who plans and constructs turnkey cleanrooms. Soon, other partners joined from the fields of consumables, cleaning, monitoring systems, qualification, cleanroom furniture, and cleanroom floors. Today, the companies BECKER Reinraumtechnik, Dorfner, ELPRO, Klima Becker Full Service, PURE 11, SLKB, Sto, Strubl, TÜV Süd, and WZB are united in the network.

A variety of ideas and events have been developed, organized, and implemented together since then. In 2010, an initiative called "Pharmacy of Tomorrow" was launched to provide sterile manufacturing pharmacists with information about cleanroom technology. From the very beginning, it was a great success, with over 15 events on the topic offered in the following six years. Other industries were also addressed: for example, topics related to medical device manufacturing or component cleanliness in the automotive sector were offered in collaboration with the Saarland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK), attracting participants from across the country.

Undoubtedly a highlight was the idea to develop solutions for the Cleanroom 4.0 from the network, which were first showcased at Lounges 2020 under the title "The Pure 4.0": visitors could see into a real cleanroom with an AR glasses (Augmented Reality) and overlay data from monitoring systems or MSR technology into their real view via gesture control – a technology that remains technically leading to this day.

When COVID-19 plunged the world into crisis, customer visits and participation in trade fairs were no longer possible. What to do? At CleanRoomNet, they turned the challenge into an opportunity: quickly, the idea of "CleanRoomNet Tuesdays" was born, a virtual event held regularly every Tuesday at 3:00 PM for 2 hours online, which from the start attracted enormous interest: 260 participants registered for the first session! Many more CleanRoomNet Tuesdays followed.

Currently, the industry-unique printed guides "Thinking About It? A Guide for Your Cleanroom" and "Cleanroom Sluis Concepts for GMP Applications" have been updated and are available online on the network's website – useful resources drawn from the collective expertise of CleanRoomNet.

Due to the wishes of many customers, the network is now also offering again in-person events, including topics such as sustainability in the planning, construction, and operation of cleanrooms.

On May 20, 2025, there will be a 2-day anniversary event, during which interested participants will receive a comprehensive overview of the capabilities of the network partners and, after case studies and hands-on training, are warmly invited to celebrate the 20th anniversary with the network. So please mark the date, more information can be found at www.Cleanroomnet.de

Happy Birthday !!