Antimicrobial technology can prevent the spread of
everything from pathogens to mildew and has been used in
a wide range of products for decades.Here, Microban
explains how can it be applied to provide hygiene benefits
to users of industrial plant and equipment

Microban employs more
than 20 different
organic, inorganic and
organometallic antimicrobial
technologies including zinc and
silver to meet the needs of a broad
range of product applications.

Additives such as these are
designed to be incorporated into
products during manufacture, so
they cannot wash off or wear away
and typically kill 99% of bacteria
on the surface of treated materials
within 24h by disrupting their
biological functioning.

The direct benefits of these
antimicrobial treatments in
different industrial environments
vary. In a food preparation facility,
for example, the accent would be
on limiting the danger of crosscontamination
and minimising the
chances of a build up of bacteria
that could cause illness to employees and end
consumers, therefore protection would be
built into food contact surfaces. In a
mainstream manufacturing, there might a
general accent on enhanced
cleanliness, as well as a need to
halt growth of mould and
mildew in sections of floor,
wall and ceiling that are
difficult to access with
ordinary cleaning methods,
and antimicrobial treatment
can be built into these.

Built-in protection
At a more fundamental
level, protection can be
built into both the tools
used for cleaning ? such as
buckets and mops ? and
cleaning products themselves.

Paul McDonnell, managing director at
Microban Europe, explains the thinking
behind the use of antibacterial protection:
“In no way are antimicrobially treated
products designed to replace conventional
cleaning in industrial environments. Rather,
they are an extra layer of protection that
adds to the efficacy of your existing cleaning
regime and provide greater peace of mind in
all kinds of different applications.”
Microban licences its technology for many
different product applications that are likely
to be found in an industrial environment,
from interior panels and flooring to racking,
trolleys, storage containers and handrails. It
can even be found in paints, grouts and
sealants.

Additional support
McDonnel comments: “Antimicrobial
protection can be engineered into a very
wide range of end applications and the
solutions we provide are carefully
engineered, brand endorsed and regularly
audited for effectiveness by our laboratories.

“The partner manufacturers we work with
employ antimicrobial protection because of
the additional support this brings to their
cleaning and hygiene processes.

Ultimately, there is a strong financial
argument ? an industrial
environment which is as clean as
possible is one where there are less
likely to be all kinds of problems
arising from cross contamination of
product to staff illness.”
A new Microban licensee is Italian
cleaning products manufacturer
VDM, which has just introduced two
new lines of trolleys and janitorial
products that incorporate Microban
protection. Initially, sales are being
aimed at professional cleaning of
bacterially sensitive environments,
but wider industrial applications are
also seen as a strong potential
market.

McDonnell continues: “Our
research findings and market
experience are that where products
with antibacterial treatment are on
offer and customers are made aware of the
benefits, they respond strongly. VDM is a
good example and is already reporting a
high degree of interest in its new product
lines.”