Cleanzone has the power to initiate and promote new technologies

(Messe Frankfurt/Sandra Gätke)

On 19 and 20 November, Cleanzone – the international trade fair for contamination control and cleanroom technology – will be bringing manufacturers and users together in Frankfurt am Main. As the event draws closer, Josef Ortner from Ortner Reinraumtechnik, who is also a member of the Cleanzone strategy commission, explains the trade fair’s importance and offers insight into the biggest challenges facing the industry.

1. Ortner Reinraumtechnik has booked a much larger stand for Cleanzone 2019. What led you to do this, Mr. Ortner?

Josef Ortner: “Our company participates in numerous international cleanroom trade fairs and conventions, and it goes without saying that these events differ from one another. We have discovered that trade fair success depends to a very large degree on the manner in which systems and techniques and exhibited and presented. Giving demonstrations and offering visitors the chance to come into contact with the equipment allows them to go home with impressions that will last. Cleanzone offers us a platform for vivid and varied presentations of our cleanroom systems, especially our newest developments, for a professional audience. Among other things, we will be presenting an entirely new material airlock technology.”

2. What is the importance of Cleanzone for the cleanroom community?

Josef Ortner: “The cleanroom industry is extremely diverse, and it is difficult to cover the full spectrum in a single trade fair. This is further exacerbated by internationalisation and the differences in standards and conditions found in individual countries and regions. As a trade fair in the truest sense, Cleanzone has the power and potential to develop into a major international marketplace for cleanroom technology, and in particular to initiate and promote new technologies.  Especially in the expanded life sciences market, users and providers alike are in need of fresh inspiration and new approaches. Mechanical cleanroom  production facilities, such as those for microelectronics, mechatronics and electronics, are facing a wave of change. Considering the development and expertise of engineering firms and planners, trade fairs like Cleanzone can deliver real added value.”

3. In what areas do you expect the industry to be presenting innovations at Cleanzone?

Josef Ortner: “I believe that there will be a focus on products, systems and processes dealing with microbiological cleanliness; in other words, decontamination technologies. It would be both fascinating and welcome if there are numerous foreign exhibitors at the trade fair to present their products and services. Sometimes the cleanroom industry and providers have a tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be, or to apply the wrong standards. International comparisons make it clear that simple, cost-effective solutions are also available. Besides, there are also excellent products and solutions in use in other economic regions, and we would do well to take note of these. Competition creates pressure, and pressure supplies the energy for change – in every direction.”

4. What are some of the biggest challenges facing cleanroom technology over the next few years?

Josef Ortner: “In future, all the industries in which cleanliness and cleanroom technology are important will feel a major impact from four interrelated elements:
- Security: It will be necessary to develop or combine systems, processes, facilities and technologies that increase security in every sense of the world, be it in manufacturing, automation, digitalisation or the quality of products and work. Cybersecurity will be of particular importance.
- Energy: We will have to undertake every conceivable measure that helps save energy and protect the environment. This could well result in major change processes and may even impact the designs of buildings and production facilities. Mini-environments and the isolation philosophy will play a key role here.
- Information: Huge advances in measurement technology will be necessary, and modern digitalisation systems will have to be introduced and integrated into every aspect of cleanroom technology, so that all relevant process steps can be defined and monitored in real time. This results in the generation of information that triggers actions, in keeping with the motto: “Once I know, I know what to do.”
- Flexibility: In every area and field pertaining to cleanrooms – production, laboratories, support zones, common areas, working zones and more – it will be necessary to achieve the greatest possible flexibility. This applies to infrastructure installations, equipment installations, processing facilities and fabs. The result: ‘a factory that can breathe’.