Ecolab Inc provides water hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services in the United States and internationally The company operates through Global Industrial Global Institutional Specialty and Global Healthcare Life Sciences segments The Global Industrial segment offers water treatment and process applications and cleaning and sanitizing solutions to manufacturing food and beverage processing transportation chemical metals and mining power generation pulp and paper commercial laundry petroleum refining and petrochemical industries The Global Institutional Specialty segment provides specialized cleaning and sanitizing products to the foodservice hospitality lodging government and education and retail industries Its Global Healthcare Life Sciences segment offers specialized cleaning and sanitizing products to the healthcare personal care and pharmaceutical industries such as infection prevention and surgical solutions and endtoend cleaning and contamination control solutions under the Ecolab Microtek and Anios brand names The companys Other segment offers pest elimination services to detect eliminate and prevent pests such as rodents and insects in restaurants food and beverage processors educational and healthcare facilities hotels quick service restaurant and grocery operations and other institutional and commercial customers This segment also provides colloidal silica for binding and polishing applications in semiconductor catalyst and aerospace component manufacturing as well as chemical industries and products and services that manage wash process through custom designed programs premium products dispensing equipment water and energy management and reduction as well as real time data management It sells its products through field sales and corporate account personnel distributors and dealers The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Saint Paul Minnesota