[labnetwork] What do you do for gowning? Rent? Buy?

[Greg Heiland]

Great question, Prashant.   The good news is that you have several options - one of which may be an easy fix. Your site is geographically well-located relative to the CR laundries.  Prudential (PCS), Aramark, and Uniclean all have laundries in Cal.
The business model of the laundry providers is to have you commit to a long-term lease, with a fixed minimum re-occurring monthly charge (typically $500 per delivery). Based on our experience, that's a challenge when the number of your users fluctuates. The laundry providers also fail to depreciate the value of the garment set. It is not uncommon for clients to be charged 100% of the new garment cost, when the laundered garment may in fact be 10-15 years old. Plus, laundry providers often decide to levy a "loss, damaged, ruin" charge. If you sign a lease agreement, make sure that you limit the "loss, damaged, ruin" charges. It is not uncommon to have clients be billed for up to 10-25% of their monthly bill with "loss, damaged, ruin" charges. That's a hidden charge. Also, be cautious of a lease agreement that is "evergreen" - meaning that it auto-renews unless you send a specific contract non-renewal notice per their guidance.

The easy option is for you to purchase your own garments.  Then you can engage the laundry provider of your choice, and request that they wash your COG (Customer's Own Goods). The laundry sales reps will not want to do this, because they only get commissions for the long-term lease agreements.

Another option to consider is to purchase a limited use Microporous or Tyvek garment. They can be easily worn for up to 10 uses.  Several of the Nanofabs successfully do this.

Valutek has decades of experience supporting CR supplies. Please consider reaching out to us if you would like technical assistance on comparing limited usage vs. re-usable options.
I hope this helps. Make sure your legal department reviews any laundry lease agreement before you execute it. I can cite numerous examples where that has caused clients major heartache


Greg Heiland

-----Original Message-----
From: labnetwork <labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu> On Behalf Of Prashant Srinivasan
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2024 1:45 PM
To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
Subject: [labnetwork] What do you do for gowning? Rent? Buy?

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Valutek, Inc. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.



Hello Lab Network Gurus,

We currently avail of cleanroom gowning services provided by a local overall supply house. Our needs are limited (~ 75 bunny suites /qtr).
Due to certain government mandates, the cost of laundry services is projected to jump significantly, which will eat into our operating budget. What do you do? How do you minimize costs?

Prashant

--
Prashant Srinivasan
Teaching Cleanroom Manager, ECE
Project Scientist, Physics
Office: Engr II 1411, Brioda 1207
University of California, Santa Barbara


_______________________________________________
labnetwork mailing list
labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu
https://mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork