Ecolab, Inc., announced Thursday that it has purchased the commercial laundry division of Dober Chemical Corporation-a privately-held firm in Woodridge, Illinois.

Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed, but Ecolab said that Dober's commercial laundry business had 2009 sales of about $37 million.

“This acquisition strengthens our North American commercial laundry business, adding significant customer relationships and business scale,” Douglas Baker, Jr., chairman, president, and CEO, said in a statement. “Further, it provides unique technology in data management and wastewater solutions that will improve the value of our offerings and better serve our customers.”

Ecolab, founded in 1923, manufactures and distributes cleaning and maintenance products for the hospitality, institutional, and industrial markets. It is among Minnesota's 20-largest public companies based on revenue, which totaled $5.9 billion in 2009.

-Melissa Loth