Q3 Strong at Ecolab

For the third quarter ended Sept. 30, 2012, net sales at Ecolab climbed 74% to $3 billion, including the impact of the Nalco merger, said the company. Operating income rose 64% to $401.2 million; while net income attributable to Ecolab itself rose 54% to $238 million.


Commenting on the quarter, Douglas M. Baker, Jr., Ecolab’s chairman and chief executive officer said, “We continued to show strong results in the third quarter despite the challenging global economies. Growth remained solid across our businesses and regions, reflecting our focused efforts on new account gains, new products and services to yield improved results and lower costs for customers, and achieving the planned integration and synergy objectives from our combined businesses.

“We expect to deliver a strong year in 2012, and in doing so, help set up growth for the future. The integration of Ecolab and Nalco is going very well, and based on our experience with customers, we are more confident than ever in the value we will create through our merger. Our other recent acquisitions are also performing well and are ahead of plans. And our recently announced agreement to acquire Champion Technologies will further strengthen our strategic position, earnings and long-term outlook.

“We remain focused on our opportunities and the effective execution of our business approach. Our value proposition for customers remains compelling – delivering improved results at lower total costs – and we are using this winning combination to secure new business. We are in a very favorable situation – we are positioned to capitalize on excellent long-term growth opportunities, we have great technology, we have great sales-and-service teams and we have a great business model. We are committed to driving our business and delivering excellent results for our customers and shareholders in 2012 and beyond.”