Tennant Company (NYSE:TNC) has introduced a full-size street sweeper it says offers several first-in-the-industry capabilities, including waterless operation.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Tennant Company (NYSE:TNC), a nonresidential floor maintenance and outdoor cleaning equipment manufacturer, has introduced a full-size street sweeper it says offers several first-in-the-industry capabilities, including waterless operation.

The company's first full-size street sweeper for road and highway use, Centurion, is a high-performance, multi-purpose machine with an innovative design that manages dust generated in the sweeping process in a unique fashion, with or without water.

Tennant began a concerted effort to apply its expertise in hard-surface cleaning and dust control to outdoor cleaning challenges in the 1990s. Today the company generates approximately 10 percent of its annual net sales from outdoor cleaning equipment.

"Outdoor cleaning equipment has been a fast-growing category for us and last year contributed approximately $44 million to our net sales," said Janet M. Dolan, president and CEO. "We are expanding our opportunities in this area by introducing a product that significantly outperforms alternatives, consistent with our commitment to continued aggressive investment in new product development."

She said the company will continue to use its existing industrial sales and service network to bring Centurion to market, "as well as to offer customers a unique-in-the-industry direct service capability." Dolan said Tennant expects the machine to be particularly attractive to municipal public works departments because of its time- and cost-saving features.

Minneapolis-based Tennant 's products include scrubbers, sweepers, extractors, buffers and other specialized floor cleaning equipment and supplies, plus a complete line of industrial floor coatings. For more information, visit www.tennantco.com.