Kärcher takes legal action against Tennant
September 29th 2011

Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG, a specialist in cleaning technology, has filed lawsuits against national companies of its competitor Tennant. The legal dispute in Germany, Belgium and the UK involves false and misleading advertising claims by Tennant for scrubber-driers that use the so-called ec-H2O technology.

Kärcher is taking legal action against several advertising claims made by Tennant, especially the assertion that ordinary tap water can, in scrubber-driers, be converted into “active water” that then has the same effect as a powerful cleaning agent. This process is said to create its own “powerful

cleaning agent” with the result that a floor cleaning detergent no longer needs to be bought. These claims were investigated scientifically by an independent research institute and refuted in an in-depth expert report.

“In recent years we have achieved significant global sales growth with our scrubber-driers, and also in 2011 we’ll continue to increase” says Hartmut Jenner, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management Board of the Kärcher Group. “As a leading cleaning equipment industry company we also stand for the respectability and trustworthiness of our industry. Our customers must be able to rely on their manufacturers. Tennant’s claims are misleading and totally untenable scientifically. The company is thereby trying in a highly unfair manner to set itself apart from the competition – and making a promise to customers that it cannot possibly fulfil.”

Scrubber-driers are cleaning machines for wet cleaning of hard floors. They combine three functions: spreading the cleaning fluid, scrubbing the floor and vacuuming the dirty water.

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