Two South West specialist firms have formed a joint venture to speed up the way cleanrooms used by the pharma, life sciences and advanced manufacturing sectors are designed and built.
Called Modular Clean Air (MCA), the new initiative will produce fully compliant, off-site manufactured cleanrooms in a fraction of the time using traditional methods.
This will allow fast-growing firms, universities and research bodies in key industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to aerospace to speed up their research, manufacturing and time to market.
Behind the new joint venture are Street, Somerset-based cleanroom firm Total Clean Air (TCA) and Vanguard Healthcare Solutions, an award-winning provider of modular healthcare infrastructure based in Gloucester.
The move combines Total Clean Air’s cleanroom engineering expertise with Vanguard Healthcare Solutions’ modular construction and healthcare infrastructure capability, creating a unique partnership between two British companies specialising in the cleanroom and healthcare arena.
It also complements the Government’s investments in life sciences, designed to place the UK as a world leader in the sector, with £520m pledged to life sciences manufacturing projects in July.
Globally the cleanroom technology market is projected to more than triple to around £139.7bn by 2031.
Phillip Godden, chief executive of Total Clean Air, said speed and compliance were key in the industry.
“With Modular Clean Air, we’re proving that fully compliant off-site manufactured cleanrooms can be designed, built and validated in a fraction of the time of traditional builds.
“It’s the ideal solution for research and manufacturing organisations in the fields of pharmaceuticals and life sciences.”
MCA’s three cleanroom options – all designed and built in Britain – were unveiled yesterday at Lab Innovations 2025 at the NEC Birmingham, where visitors were able to walk-through an MCA cleanroom demonstrator and take a virtual reality tour of larger installations.
Chris Blackwell-Frost, chief executive officer of Vanguard, added: “Modular Clean Air brings together two organisations committed to quality, compliance, and speed.
“We’re opening new opportunities for businesses across pharmaceuticals and life sciences, enabling faster speed to production, scale-up and research.”
MCA’s launch also strengthens the South West’s growing reputation as a hub for engineering excellence and high-value manufacturing, supporting skilled jobs and innovation across the region.
Founded in 2018, Total Clean Air is the UK’s leading producer of clean air, containment and bio‑decontamination spaces, including high-performance cleanrooms and controlled environments across a range of sectors.
Its UK and worldwide clients range from BrewDog to Cisco, the NHS to Bupa, Airbus and Estée Lauder.
Vanguard Healthcare Solutions, established in 1999, is a leading provider of flexible clinical infrastructure and services.
The firm works with NHS trusts and independent healthcare providers across the UK and internationally to provide bespoke mobile and modular healthcare spaces, including operating theatres, surgical hubs, community diagnostic centres, endoscopy suites, clinics, wards and minor injuries units.
In 2023, it expanded its UK manufacturing capability with a new 100,000 sq ft facility in Hull, increasing its capacity for rapid, scalable infrastructure delivery.