"Futureproofing" Cleanroom Facilities

By Dennis Powers, Senior Vice President, Product & Strategy, G-CON

The biopharmaceutical industry is shifting towards more flexible manufacturing facilities that can accommodate multiple products and adapt to changes in market demand. This includes considering the flexibility of cleanrooms, which are essential for manufacturing. Prefabricated and modular cleanroom infrastructure offer advantages over traditional construction. The "Box-in-Box" approach, where modular cleanrooms are installed within a larger structure, is becoming popular due to its potential for future expansion or reconfiguration with minimal disruption. These cleanrooms are usually pre-engineered systems or kits constructed on-site. Proper planning can ensure these systems provide the flexibility to reconfigure existing spaces in the future. However, factors such as design, quality, ease of installation, and options for integrating utilities can all impact their "futureproofing" potential and should be considered when selecting a supplier.