LANXESS, one of the world?s largest suppliers of antimicrobial protection products, and Tennants GmbH from Bielefeld, Germany, have agreed on a strategic cooperation for integrated solutions in the field of industrial plant hygiene. In doing so, the partners will combine the specialty chemicals group?s biocide portfolio and the company?s adenosine triphosphate (ATP) technology. ATP technology can be used to quickly and reliably detect a possible contamination with microorganisms. Philipp Seidenstuecker, Global Marketing Manager Paints and coatings in the Material Protection Products (MPP) business unit at LANXESS, explains, ?Plant hygiene is a key element of a proper preservation, especially in our ever tighter regulatory environment. The ATP technology from Tennants is an excellent way to monitor the hygiene level in the factory and to support the most efficient use of biocides. Customers of both companies benefit equally from this cooperation.? Jasper Stegeman, General Manager ATP Technology at Tennants, says: ?LANXESS? comprehensive biocide solutions are a perfect match to our ATP technology to help our customers maintain their industrial plant hygiene.? The synergistic combination does not only account for paints and polymer manufacturing, but also for the processing industries including chemicals for inks, adhesives, plastics, textiles, leather, metalworking fluids, lubricants, and building materials. Inadequate industrial plant hygiene can lead to microbial disruptions or contamination of raw materials, production water, equipment as well as end products. Contaminated materials, which can lead to equipment failure and loss of productivity, are counter-productive. Therefore, proper industrial plant hygiene, preservation with appropriate biocide formulations and efficient, real-time and quantitative microbial control mechanisms such as ATP technology are essential for sustainable production. ATP technology can reliably quantify microbial content in any sample such as water, chemically complex samples, solids as well as on surfaces. It provides results within minutes. ?No microorganism goes undetected in quantitative analyses using 2nd generation ATP technology. There are no false-positive/false-negative results compared to conventional methods,? Stegeman explains. The test can be performed both in the laboratory and directly on-site at the plant. ATP technology can be used to determine the concentration of total biomass ? including bacteria, yeasts and moulds. The emphasis in using the tests is on prevention, not post-treatment.