We are constructing several new cleanrooms on our campus and will be using thousands of garment items daily as we change on entry. We are considering building a cleanroom garment laundry to support this operation. What are the pros and cons of constructing an on-premise cleanroom garment laundry?

Recently, industry financial consultants have debated the issue of establishing an on-premise cleanroom garment laundry facility as a cost effective alternative to using an out-sourced established cleanroom garment service. The consultants relied on quotes from laundry equipment suppliers and approximate initial capital investment. They do not present a scenario of the “return on investment.” There is no mention of the cleanroom facility to house the equipment. There is no mention of the cleanliness certification of the cleanroom laundry or the quality system and procedures to support a consistent quality product over time or the personnel resources required to support the quality product and system. When considering establishing an on-premise laundry, one needs to look carefully at the initial capital investment and the systems and personnel requirements for successful operation.

Why do you want to have an on-premise cleanroom garment laundry?
Obviously, there must be a large number of garments to rationalize the significant capital investment in equipment, facilities, personnel, and garments. Even if the cost of cleanroom garment service appears high, the cost of maintaining a highly skilled personnel pool, the cost of servicing, and the amortization of the garments must be rationalized by the garment service provider to bea realistic financial opportunity.

After reviewing the history of invoices for the current cleanroom garment service, one must analyze present and future cleanroom garment requirements. IEST-RP-CC003.3, “Garment Considerations for Cleanrooms and Other Controlled Environments” is a good resource to consult when evaluating and projecting the types of cleanroom garments required and the number of changes required. One must also consider the recent economic and technological changes in the contamination control industries.