Sometimes things can be simpler
It’s a February day in the year 2025 and I’m visiting an important customer. The production manager welcomes me and I immediately notice that there is unrest in the company. To be more precise actually it’s resting: there’s a production stoppage due to contamination, proven by a swab test. The cause has already been found – there were problems while cleaning the cleanrooms.
It turns out that the customer is using reusable mops and these have not survived the last reprocessing. But instead of reporting the problem, the employees simply used them. And yet no one can be blamed, because everything was done strictly according to SOP. Officially, the mops could have been reprocessed 14 more times before they reached the end of their life cycle.
Disposable or reusable?
“You know,” says the production manager, “we’ve been using our system for years now. But recently I’ve been questioning whether we should stick with reusable mops.” However, switching to disposable has not really been an issue yet. “Change is expensive and always means effort,” sighs the customer. “And it has to bring an improvement. And then there’s the environment… disposable mops aren’t sustainable, are they? The only advantage I can see is that the mops are guaranteed new.”
That’s an important argument, because no compromises should be made when it comes to safety. And new for our disposable mops means absolutly suitable for cleanroom cleaning. Of course I tell him the same thing. Then I ask for more details about his cleanroom: Who cleans (the pharmacists/PTAs?), what the mops have to do (cleaning and disinfection) and so on.
Efficient is also sustainable
“In your case,” I finally explain to the customer, “reusable is not necessarily better. And on the subject of sustainability: with disposable mops, you could halve the amount of mops needed. Sometimes there are simple solutions.” I take a pack of mops from my sample case. “Look: Up to 40 square meters are possible with one single mop. You could mop your entire cleanroom with one pack”. The production manager looks at me in amazement. I carry on talking.
“I assume you need about 400 ml of liquid per reusable mop.” The customer nods. “Our disposable mops absorb less liquid, but they release it better onto the surface. With a reusable mop, the entire mop is saturated and the release is not optimal. Conversely, this means that if you switch to a disposable system, you save the amount of liquid that would otherwise remain in the mop. And now consider that you can cover almost twice as much area with our disposable mops as with the reusable mops. That’s good for operating costs and sustainability: same surface area, less liquid consumption, fewer mops.”
No problem without a solution
“All well and good. But the mop is not compatible with my system,” the customer points out. I hand him the right mop system and explain how it works. The customer is amazed: the mops sit perfectly taut, are picked up and dropped without hand contact. What’s more, the tool is much lighter and more flexible than the usual stainless steel versions. We arrange a sample delivery for practical tests in his cleanrooms, a training session to instruct the cleaning staff and I offer him support with implementation, SOP drafts and validation.
A satisfied customer
It is now May and I drop by the customer’s premises again. The production manager meets me with a smile, he has now completely switched his system to disposable mops. The atmosphere is much more relaxed than in February. “It’s working! The change has paid off. For my employees through simplification of work and ergonomics and for the company in terms of profitability, who would have thought it! And I also scored points in the last audit, thank you very much!” I ask him if there is anything else I can help him with. He currently has no challenges with his cleanroom cleaning – all problems have been solved. Satisfied, I drive back to Hydroflex when my cell phone rings. A gentleman is on the other end, I met him at a trade fair in the spring. He is wondering whether the reusable system is still right for him and would like to be introduced to various disposable mops. I make an appointment.