Caroline Wright from BACS Contamination Control attended Cleanzone 2012 held in Frankfurt, Germany on 24-25 October. Cleanzone is an international trade fair and 2-day congress devoted to cleanroom technology. The show was well-attended with 600 participants from 13 counties. Sixteen experts from all over Europe presented talks on concepts and trends in the industry, design and construction of clean zones, cleanroom testing and monitoring, and cleanroom operations. Prof. Dr. Ulrich Walter, former astronaut and professor at the Institute of Astronautics and Satellite Technology at Munich University delivered the keynote address entitled “Cleanroom Technology in Space Missions”. The annual Cleanroom Award 2012 for innovations in cleanroom technology went to Technology of Sense in the Netherlands for their APMON real-time particle deposition monitor that uses an optical system with wireless computer interface to automatically count and measure particles on a cleanroom work surface every 10 minutes. Caroline also viewed the latest innovations in cleanroom products and services exhibited by 41 companies from 7 counties.
While overseas, Caroline met with Frank Duvernell, owner of profi-con Contamination Control, a German professional services provider in the cleanroom sector, maintaining sterile areas within the pharmaceutical, genetic engineering, biotechnology and medical technology industries and providing professional cleaning services for dust-free cleanrooms within the microelectronics, semiconductors, optoelectronics, automotive and plastics technology industries. She travelled to their headquarters in Leipzig to visit their team and see how professional cleanroom cleaning is conducted in Germany. She also met Annett Michel, Managing Director of the Reinraum-Akademie (the Cleanroom Academy), a company offering a range of theoretical and practical seminars, training and coaching to streamline cleanroom workflow and train all managers and operators in proper cleanroom garmenting, behaviour and mindset.