“We have the highest cleaning standards on earth,” said Marcel Klessen, general manager of VACOM Montana, Inc.

Klessen said the company’s customers include high tech manufacturers working in fields such as electronics or aerospace, where the tiniest bit of contamination creates huge problems.

“After we test clean a first batch of components, we have to prove to our customers that the water we use is pure enough, the cleaning agents are good enough and the process is meeting their standards,” Klessen said. “We ask them to sign a release after the test cleaning, and we don’t start on their job until they sign off.”

Even after that, VACOM is subject to yearly audits so customers know they are getting what they pay for.

“Some of our customers are building machines worth $100 million,” Klessen said. “If we deliver a contaminated screw, that could shut them down for two or three weeks. They could lose millions.”

To produce materials cleaned to the molecular level, Klessen has overseen the installation of VACOM’s specialized clean room equipment, much of which was brought over from Germany.

Luckily, Klessen said, most of the equipment was purchased before the U.S. tariffs on Europe soared.

“We paid 2% tariffs. If we had to set up now, we couldn’t because the cost of the $35% tariffs would have been in the millions,” Klessen said.

Each part or group of parts VACOM receives from customers goes through multiple steps in the cleaning process.

After packaging in specially-made metal trays, the parts are pre-cleaned in what Klessen calls a “big dishwasher.” The final rinse is made with highly purified water. The next step is ultra-fine cleaning in VACOM’s specialized equipment, developed by a company engineer working with a machine company in Germany. Each machine takes two to three years to build, which is why Klessen was happy to receive one already in use at the company’s Germany plant.

“We brought this one over from Germany to avoid delaying the start of this plant,” Klessen said.

The final cleaning takes place in a vacuum, removing the last bit of water and micro-contaminants.

“When the process is finished, the level of contamination has to be no more than 0.3 nanograms per centimeter squared,” Klessen said, adding, “That’s like one and a half drops of oil spread across a football field.”

The entire cleaning process is monitored to ensure each step meets the company’s standards. Once the process is completed, cleaned parts are packed while still in the clean room, vacuum sealed in foil moisture barrier packets, and shipped to the customer.

So far the company has hired five employees and is currently looking for an industrial maintenance technician. In a couple of weeks Klessen will be hiring clean room and production technicians. Needless to say, specialized training is required.

“We know we probably won’t find a clean room technician with 20 years experience here, so we are looking for people who are willing to adjust and learn something new and special,” Klessen said.

Within the next year VACOM plans to remodel a separate steel building on the property for use in manufacturing components that will be cleaned and sold. That project is in the planning stages, awaiting cost estimates.

The clean room operation will be open for viewing as part of the public tours at the Open House. Tours will start every half hour. Food and drinks, also free, will be available from the 406 Hot Dog Cart, and kids can enjoy the bounce house and kid’s corner activities. The event takes place at 37 Brick Trail from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 12.