Why is Kärcher taking legal action against its competitor Tennant?

27 September 2011, 11:08 CET ( by Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG )         4 Comments »

Kärcher is taking legal action for unfair competition against three national Tennant companies that belong to the US Tennant Group. The subject of the dispute is false claims that Tennant makes in advertising for scrubber-driers that are equipped with the contentious ec-H2O technology. Tennant claims that this technology can use electrolysis to break down normal tap water into acid and alkaline components that then act as a powerful cleaning agent. Tennant also claims that its ec-H2O technology makes it its own powerful cleaner and there is therefore no longer any need to buy a floor cleaning detergent for the cleaning machines. Tennant also claims that the ec-H2O technology has proved its worth. These statements are misleading for customers and absolutely untenable scientifically. Tennant is thereby attempting in a unfair manner to set itself apart from its competitors – by making a customers a promise that cannot possibly be kept.