Volume XXI, Issue 2 - February 2024

Using cleaning chemicals designed for the household compromises product quality. Call to discuss how to make critical cleaning processes consistent and up to date.

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"You always have such witty sayings in your newsletters. They are a pleasure to read."

Louise Bertagnolli, JST Manufacturing Inc., Boise, ID


Feature Article

Consumer Products for Precision Cleaning – True or False

Barbara Kanegsberg, BFK Solutions LLC

[This article appeared in Clean Source, October 2016]

Never use a consumer/automotive cleaning agent for precision cleaning high-value product. True or false

Quick! True or false. This is a timed test, and you will be graded. I hate true/false tests; there’s no room for nuance. In critical and precision cleaning, particularly of high-value product, most decisions are situational. If I had to make a quick either/or decision, I’d say “true.” In fact, awhile back I received a phone inquiry asking if it was ok to use a certain brand of automotive cleaner to manufacture medical devices. As you might expect, I rather discouraged that concept. 

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

7 Habits of Highly Effective Finishing Operations 

Tim Pennington, Editor of Finishing & Coating Magazine, and an icon of the metal finishing industry, will present: "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Finishing Operations" at the March 14 free Zoom meeting of the Surface Finishers Educational Association (SFEA). 

What makes the difference between a finishing operation that is profitable and one that is profitable, plus having a workforce that enjoys working for its owners and is on an upward trajectory? It’s usually found in the habits and business practices of its owners and managers, and we take a look at shops that have refined what it means to be an excellent and effective operation in the finishing industry. You will learn about these seven habits, and you will hear directly from the shop owners on what they preach every day in short videos in which they explain the principles of their highly effective habits. Register to get the Zoom link.


Loss of HSIA

It is our understanding that the 44-year-old Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance, will be dissolved; this is a loss to American manufacturing. The mission of HSIA, an educational and lobbying organization representing chlorinated solvents, has been “to rely on sound science in the assessment of potential health effects of halogenated solvents; to promote the principles of excellent product stewardship; and to represent the interests of manufacturers, producers, distributors and commercial users of halogenated solvents.” For the past 14 years, we have found Executive Director Faye Graul to be an excellent resource to the manufacturing community. She has encouraged us to speak out regarding the pros and cons of solvent and aqueous cleaning. HSIA has been an effective mechanism for manufacturers to provide input and information to regulatory agencies, without necessarily sticking their neck out. Some HSIA activities are expected to be managed by the American Chemistry Council (ACC). We will keep you posted.


Achieve Confident Aqueous Product Cleaning 

Avoid panic! Achieve a clear, practical understanding of how aqueous cleaning works. Replace worry with confidence. Register you and your employees for the “Aqueous Cleaning On-Demand Course” from the Product Quality Cleaning Workshops. PQCW Instructors Barb Kanegsberg, Ed Kanegsberg, and Dr. Darren Williams share the goal of making our courses educational, practical and fun. Benefits of the course include rational process selection and design, reliable cleaning, good process control, ability to nip cleaning problems in the bud, happy customers, and higher profits. Bonus! To answer your questions and address your particular process concerns, the course includes time for one-on-one discussions with a PQCW instructor. For information on this course and other PQCW offerings, access the link below.

PQCW Programs 


BFK Solutions. – independent consultants and practical educators

Our decades of experience help you make productive decisions about your cleaning processes, your manufacturing processes, your business. Contact Ed and Barbara Kanegsberg with concerns about cleaning, surface quality, regulatory issues - we’ll get back to you and discuss your cleaning issue, whether or not we do a project together! Suggest a topic – we may write about it! 

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