At the end of 2023, word went around that garment manufacturer Dastex Group had brought on a new CEO. Linda Vereycken is this CEO, and she is getting ready to put her experience to the test with the company’s new period of expansion.
The cleanroom consumables expert who created the cleanroom-compatible reusable garment system CLEANGREENCYCLE, has brought the 36-year veteran on board following her decades of experience in the sector.
Vereycken worked for many authoritative bodies; such as the Belgian Cleanroom Workgroup (BCW), ISO workgroup 209WG11, and the Belgian accreditation company Belac for bodies operating certification of products, quality systems or persons.
We expect this standard to be released next year
Taking over as CEO, Vereycken is looking to take the Germany-based company further beyond its borders and grow its international endeavours. The executive has years of experience on her side, but what is this experience?
A cleanroom standard for consumables
The new CEO has been instrumental in an upcoming cleanroom standard for consumables, ISO workgroup 209WG11. “[This new standard] is truly needed,” Vereycken stresses. “End-users today have to rely on the information they receive from suppliers without any standard to rely on.”
She explains that this means anybody in the cleanroom market can claim they are selling cleanroom consumables. “There is no standard to verify whether these products are really compatible to use in cleanrooms,” she says.
She tells Cleanroom Technology that they expect this consumables standard to be released next year (2025). “Personally, I think it will help end–users to have a good tool to challenge suppliers,” she enthuses.
The story from the dead of night involves a mystery, a mop, and a commode
Vereycken provided similar expertise functions at Belac and BCW. The former is an accreditation system that works with cleanroom companies, the latter is an independent cleanroom association that provides objective information and expertise on the design, construction, and operation of controlled areas within national and international norms, standards, and best practices.
The personable leader side of Vereycken is obvious in her storytelling. When talking about all of the things she has seen, the CEO told her “craziest” cleanroom story. The story from the dead of night involves a mystery, a mop, and a commode.
A changing sector
A board member for the Belgian Cleanroom Workgroup (BCW) for over 25 years up until 2022, Vereycken has seen the industry through many changes.
Most recently she talks about the impact of COVID-19 and Annex 1.
COVID-19 changed working environments around the world, and cleanrooms were no different. “I saw a shift in the way people worked, how it changed over time and what an impact COVID-19 had on this process,” Vereycken thinks back on. “In the past, the BCW was a physical platform where high-level knowledge from cleanroom experts was shared with the end-users. It was also an opportunity to broaden your network and to increase your personal knowledge by discussing technical topics in high-level workshops.”
Vereycken thinks that in the last decade it is getting harder to find people with that “same level of commitment”. In turn, she thinks that this general knowledge is fading away with the retirement of several “cleanroom dinosaurs”. “The younger generations are not trained in the same intensive way as we were,” she says. “And I notice this is the same in all the other countries.”
[Sustainability] is more complicated than a slogan
“Some think AI will solve that problem,” she adds. “I have no idea about that. Although AI is today, already better than lawyers from Harvard so who knows?”
EU GMP Annex 1, the document that governs standards for sterile production of medicinal products, is another huge driving force for change in the cleanroom industry. While sterile clothing, accessories, goggles/full face coverings for class A/B were already commonplace practices in anticipation of the changes, the final document’s release has put greater emphasis on other factors.
These factors include qualification of the supplier of garments/accessories, as well as adequately validated washing and sterilisation processes. “Pharma companies will probably expect this to be on a well-documented risk- and science-based approach,” she explains. Vereycken adds that this could have significant impacts depending on the supplier’s existing processes.
Vereycken expects that all kinds of extra controls will be needed by both the supplier (under “garment management processes”) and user (under “garment qualification programme”) of cleanroom consumables.
“Incorporating these checks obviously has some impact on time taken, proof of compliance with procedures and more,” she says.
Too much change?
There have been some big moves by cleanroom consumables firms in the last year. Notably, Ansell purchased Kimberly-Clark’s PPE business for $640m.
Active in the same markets, Vereycken was disappointed to see this news. “From the end-users’ point of view, I think it is a pity that Kimberly Clark was sold to Ansell,” she reveals. "They were both dominant glove manufacturers with high consistent quality standards. So they challenged each other for many decades and that kept the cleanroom glove industry innovative. And that changed now.”
However, she also adds that this is also an opportunity for smaller players to fill the gap and to be innovative.
Under new management
Vereycken officially took over as CEO of Dastex (Reinraumzubehör) in October 2023.
Vereycken views this new challenge with excitement. “Observing this company makes me so excited for the future,” she enthuses. “The challenge is to get to know the culture, the people, and the DNA of the company.”
She says that Dastex has a history of innovation, passion, and high-quality products, and she is looking forward to growing together with the team and growth is the plan—specifically, international growth.
From her time at Basan, Vereycken has experience with growing a presence in a new geography. She helped grow the Belgium branch of the company which differed from the existing Netherlands and Germany ones in that it had limited microelectronic or semiconductors markets.
For Dastex, the next big step is to create a fully European contamination control provider
Through a refocus on the increasing garments needs of the pharmaceutical market and by securing an exclusive distributor deal with a UK manufacturer, Vereycken made a huge difference in the company’s operations.
For Dastex, the next big step is to create a fully European contamination control provider. Dastex began and is still based in Germany, and is well established in the DACH region, but the company’s international activities are increasing.
The European cleanroom garment market is still fragmented. However, Vereycken explains that the market is maturing, and seeing a shift toward consolidation. In mid-2023, The Riverside Company acquired Dastex and the impact of this is already being felt across the business. “For Dastex it was the most logical step to sell to Riverside. Dastex is at the top of the Dach region and to expand it was necessary to take the next step.”
Talking about the company’s supply chain, Vereycken says that “with Riverside we are spoiled”. “They know this market well and help to give the right resources to support this expansion,” she explains. "It has been a year now that we have been operating with Riverside and the impact is huge but very promising.”
Costs and waste are huge factors in managing cleanroom consumables
On the flip side, for Riverside, the benefit comes from owning a prominent company in. A niche market with significant internationalisation potential. Vereycken says that “Dastex ticks a lot of the boxes that our owner is looking for” with its plans to be a pan-European leader.
Riverside also acquired Vita Verita at the same time as Dastex. Vita Verita is a Sweden-based expert in cleanroom consumables and laboratory equipment, air quality testing, service and maintenance for pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and other controlled environments.
This Nordic presence was then compounded with the acquisition of Arbeidsmiljø og Energiteknikk AS (AET) in April 2024. The Norwegian distributor of third-party consumables and laboratory/cleaning equipment strengthens the group’s presence in northern Europe.
“Vita Verita and AET are excited to join the Dastex group as it offers them a huge potential for growing in their market,” Vereycken remarks. “With Vita Verita we already see the positive impact in the organisation. The team is very motivated, and we hired several new experienced salespeople. Now with AET on board, it is offering the Dastex group the opportunity to get a strong grip on the Nordic market.”
Tackling rising costs and sustainability during expansion
Costs and waste are huge factors in managing cleanroom consumables.
Many of these products are also made from 100% polyester, PP, and other non-shedding materials to make them cleanroom suitable. It is a challenge to recycle these materials in a good way. “Some suppliers have made it to a marketing tool,” Vereycken says with concern. "But it is more complicated than a slogan. Recycling these products is a huge challenge for this industry. Dastex is working very hard to expand its “Clean Green cycle” programme where we propose a scientific proven sustainable solution in full compliance with ESG.”
The European cleanroom garment market is still fragmented
Vereycken also believes the company’s European production offers it additional advantages for sustainability, as well as Annex 1 compliance. “We can visit our production sites on a very regular base as they are only a few hours from the HQ,” she says. “We value our ESG policy in the Dastex group and we can implement our high ESG standards in our different manufacturing facilities.”
Balancing quality, sustainability and cost is a tall order for consumables companies, but Vereycken has a positive attitude that all three can be achieved if the right approach is taken. Time will tell if she can make this happen during her time at the wheel.
