Priorclave North America (PNA) is pleased to welcome our new CEO, Ashley Sauce. Sauce comes from a customer relations and sales background in industrial and utility-grade electrical and automation/control equipment. Her team includes a new Customer Service Manager, Shandi Willis. Willis brings 21 years of client relations experience to Priorclave, and is noted for her “customer first” approach.

Lee Oakley, Sales Director for Priorclave Ltd. UK, notes that “both Ashley and Shandi are new to autoclaves. However, even in a short time, they’ve flourished, bringing in orders and sorting out issues. Working together, I’m certain they’ll be taking Priorclave PNA to new heights. Priorclave Limited and Priorclave North America are lucky to have found a pair who work together so well, and fit into the UK team at the factory as well.”

“I’m particularly fond of Priorclave’s family-oriented and supportive atmosphere,” Sauce notes. “It’s a pleasure to take up the reins on a company held in such high regard.”

Eager to Bring Sustainability to Industry

This management change marks the departure of long-time CEO Barbra Wells and Operations Manager ​​Amanda Neal. Wells’ seven-year tenure marked a significant expansion of Priorclave’s North American operations. Wells worked tirelessly to promote sustainable lab operations, especially in academia, and raise awareness around the substantial cost savings available to organizations when they shift to using right-sized jacketless autoclaves designed for research (rather than repurposed jacketed medical sterilizers).

As CEO, Ashley Sauce is eager to continue expanding, so that labs outside of academia can reap these same benefits.

“I’ve been consistently impressed by Priorclave’s commitment to sustainable practices,” Sauce says. “I love how our machines are less harsh on the environment, and am eager to see new users in manufacturing and industry—like veterinarians, startups, and food packagers and producers—enjoy the same reliability and savings that our academic and education customers have benefited from over the last decade. I’m really excited to take on this role.”

Moving forward, PNA will expand our global reach by continuing to build an international team of authorized service agents and dealers, and by increasing our focus on supporting manufacturing in North America. Even as we evolve, Priorclave North America continues both our unflagging support of existing customers and our commitment to environmental sustainability. Priorclave autoclaves regularly use 81% less energy and 93% less water than same-size units performing similar tasks.

“The sheer efficiency of our autoclaves can be such a big win for manufacturers developing new products and packaging,” Ashley Sauce concludes. “Installers have consistently complimented us on Priorclave autoclaves’ ease of use and maintenance. By sticking with a proven design with fewer moving parts, we help ensure less downtime. That means more work getting done at a lower cost. That really adds up, especially in a time when there is so much uncertainty for manufacturers.”