Astro Pak announces that Michael Johnson has been promoted to Vice President of Technical Services. He is stepping up from his previous role as Director of Technical Services for the company. His new role places both the Technical Services Group (TSG) and the Engineering Services Group (ESG) under common leadership. The TSG is Astro Pak’s Research and Development group made up of subject matter experts with deep knowledge gained through many years of experience in their respective fields. This team is dedicated to developing new, industry-leading processes and chemistries, some of which become the industry standards. Additionally, the group also serves as an internal consulting resource for Astro Pak’s Field Services and Cleanroom divisions in providing expert advice on resolving its clients’ most challenging projects. Meanwhile, the ESG is a relatively new, customer-facing resource which can be engaged to consult on best practices when designing new facilities to maximize their maintainability to ensure longevity and product safety.
“The Wisconsin location puts us closer to our customers while positioning us at the heart of the rapidly growing Biopharma and Life Science Tech Hub in the region.”
Mr. Johnson himself is a recognized subject matter expert in the highly specialized field of precision cleaning of spaceflight hardware. He joined Astro Pak in March of 2021 after a career of nearly 30 years at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There, his work included serving as General Manager of the Chemical Analysis Laboratory and Spaceflight Hardware Precision Cleaning and Refurbishment Operation which included the Space Shuttle program. His other work included designing facility equipment and solvent delivery system as well as working with Boeing and NASA to replace the environmentally hazardous Freon 113 solvent. He also led a team collaborating with Lockheed to clean a contaminated titanium tubing system onboard the Orion space capsule without the need to remove it.
In his new role, Mr. Johnson plans on continuing his mandate “to build and lead a department whose mission is to position Astro Pak on the technological forefront of precision and high purity cleaning and to provide ongoing technical support for sales, operations, and business development.”