A spoonful of common sense
04/01/2001
 |
Over the past year I've made countless phone calls to readers and vendors in an attempt to point out, shake out, figure out, the single biggest issue that runs across all cleanroom market segments.
A full year is a pretty good chunk of time; enough to wrap your arms around even the most elusive of beasts. Of course my first mistake was that I assumed the issue was, in fact, an "elusive beast." From the moment I started this search, to just a few moments ago, it kept coming back to one common denominator—education.
How foolish of me to take it for granted: All clean technology is developed with a specific, set purpose in mind and it's going to be installed, applied, cleaned and utilized to that product's purpose and specifications. What?
With a sharp slap in the face, I've been reminded of our own editorial mission.
Here's why I'm surprised: How could such a broad issue continue to plague our army of sophisticated end users and innovated technology suppliers. This is an industry—I'd even go as far as calling it a "movement"—that concerns itself with contamination on molecular levels, the microscopic, nanoscopic. How could something as basic as cleanroom product education and procedural education, something "I took for granted," be the key sticking point to some of the world's top manufacturers?
But it does make sense. Regardless of its breadth, education lies at the heart of almost every design/build problem, every standard operational breach, most increases in yield reductions and, eventually, just about every plant closing.
The horror stories rolling in from conversations with design/build players would shake the faith of even the firmest believers. "What are your needs?" a design/build player asked a potential client, one who already had clean space up and running. "Well, we need another cleanroom," the client said. "How much square footage have you allotted for the project?" No answer. "How much power do you have running to that area? What will your process be and what classification do you need to achieve once the room is up and running?"
If end users don't know what they want, how can the vendor or service contractor meet the demand with a proper product? To go a step further; if end users don't know what they want, vendors are going to give them what they give them with no questions asked. Products and services will lack any and all specs pertinent to the individual situation. When that happens, and that's happening, the system fails. Do I sound like a broken record?
As I look out toward editorial calendars for years to come, I realize that CleanRooms' editorial mission will become even trickier: To serve the "power" user with specific high-end technical features and news but by no means neglect the needs of the new users, the industries embracing the siren song of the "cleanrooms" movement. But that's what we can do. What can you do to better your relationship with your vendors, and vendors with your clients? Let's utilize the contacts we already have and put common sense to work for the greater good.
Michael A. Levans
Chief Editor