PRODUCT AND SERVICES SUPPLY AGREEMENT
Exhibit
10.1
This
Agreement,
made effective as of June 1, 2006, is between Ecolab Inc., located at Ecolab
Center, Xx. Xxxx, Xxxxxxxxx 00000 (“Ecolab”)
and Xxxxxxxx
Corporation, located at 000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
(“Customer”).
1.
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Supply
of Products.
During the
term of this Agreement, Customer must purchase from Ecolab and Ecolab
must
supply, sell and deliver to Customer all of Customer’s requirements for
dispensed laundry and other textile care cleaning and sanitizing
chemical
products as identified on Exhibit
A,
attached
hereto and incorporated herein by reference (“Products”).
Products
will be supplied under this Agreement for Customer’s use only and will not
be resold by Customer. During the term of this Agreement, and at
no cost
to Customer, Ecolab will loan and deliver to Customer, for storage
of
Products at each of Customer’s service center locations, bulk and day
tanks (Customer is responsible for tank
installation).
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2.
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Pricing
of Products.
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2.1
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Basic
Flat Fee.
Until a
Customer service center converts to the per-unit pricing/cost guarantee
program outlined in Section 2.2 (which conversion must be complete
by no
later than January 31, 2007), Ecolab will invoice Customer, as to
each of
its service centers, a monthly flat fee for the Products shown on
Exhibit
A
which are
designated as “Flat Fee or Cost Guarantee Products” based on the
following:
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A.
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Products
plus Chlorine.
For service
centers using Products with chlorine, Ecolab will invoice Customer
at a
rate of $___ per CWT (cost per hundred pound clean weight of delivered
linen).
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B.
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Products
plus Peroxide.
For service
centers using Products with peroxide, Ecolab will invoice Customer
at a
rate of $____ per CWT.
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C.
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Products
plus PERformance.
For service
centers using Products with PERformance, Ecolab will invoice Customer
at a
rate of $____ per CWT.
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D.
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All
Flat
Fees.
Customer
agrees to provide Ecolab with census data indicating total number
of CWT
(on a Period basis) no later than the 5th
business day
after the close of each of Customer’s 4-4-5 fiscal periods during the term
of this Agreement (each a “Period”),
by service
center. If census data is not provided to Ecolab by the 7th
business day
following a particular Period, then pending receipt of the census
data
Ecolab will invoice Customer based upon the census data received
for the
previous Period (or estimate the flat fee if no census data was provided)
and Customer must pay that amount when invoiced (subject to a subsequent
reconciliation once the actual census data is provided to Ecolab).
Upon
reasonable prior notice and during regular business hours, Ecolab
may
audit, at Ecolab’s expense, Customer’s books and records to verify the
adequacy and accuracy of Customer’s reports.
Customer
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1
will
promptly
implement reasonable cost-savings measures proposed by Ecolab to minimize
excessive and unnecessary usage of Product if the benefits from such proposals
exceed any associated costs related to the implementation of such proposals,
both with respect to this Section 2.1 and Section 2.2.
E.
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Inventory.
At the time
a Customer service center completes the conversion to the per-unit
pricing
and the cost guarantee program outlined in Section 2.2, all flat
fee
product inventory remaining at such service center location will
become
Customer’s property. However, Customer must pay the value of any inventory
remaining at a particular service center at the earlier of: (1) the
date
that service center is no longer sole source with Ecolab; (2) the
date
such service center volume is sold to a third party; or (3) May 31,
2011,
unless this Agreement is terminated by Customer for breach by Ecolab
as
provided for in Section 12.1 B, in which case Customer shall have
no such
payment obligation.
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2.2
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Per-Unit
Pricing/Cost Guarantee.
By no later
than February 1, 2007, each service center must convert to the per-unit
pricing program under this Section 2.2. Upon such conversion, Ecolab
will
invoice Customer at the per-unit prices shown on Exhibit
A
for the
Products (except for service centers located in Hawaii or Alaska,
which
may be subject to additional freight charges). Ecolab guarantees
that
Customer’s Fiscal Yearly aggregate cost of the Products designated as
“Flat Fee or Cost Guarantee Products” on Exhibit
A
(excluding
any other charges such as shipping, taxes, minimum order charges,
restocking fees, and Product return credits, if any) will not exceed
the
sum of $____ per CWT for service centers using Products with chlorine,
$____ per CWT for service centers using Products with peroxide and
$____
per CTW for service centers using Products with PERformance (the
“Cost
Guarantee Amount”).
Within 30
days after the end of each Fiscal Quarter, Customer will supply Ecolab
with reports indicating total number of CWT for such Fiscal Quarter,
by
service center. Upon reasonable prior notice and during regular business
hours, Ecolab may audit, at Ecolab’s expense, Customer’s books and records
to verify the adequacy and accuracy of Customer’s reports. Ecolab will
reimburse Customer within 30 days after receiving the fourth and
final
Fiscal Quarterly report for each Fiscal Year, the amount, if any,
by which
the actual aggregate amount paid by Customer for such Products for
the
Fiscal Year exceeds the aggregate Cost Guarantee Amount for that
Fiscal
Year. Customer must maintain the water temperature to Ecolab’s
recommendation and maintain water hardness below 5 grains per gallon.
Ecolab represents and warrants that all such recommendations shall
be in
compliance with all statutes, regulations, rules and standards that
are
applicable to Customer’s operations. If Customer does not supply Ecolab
with the four required Fiscal Quarterly census reports (which show
the
number of CWT for the Year) within 90 days following the end of a
Fiscal
Year, then all of Ecolab’s obligations under the cost guarantee provisions
under this Agreement will be void for that Fiscal Year. The Cost
Guarantee
rates will increase at the same rate, and at the same time, as the
prices
on Exhibit
A
increase as
set forth in Section 3 of this Agreement. A “Fiscal
Year”
is a fiscal
year of Customer during the term of this Agreement. A “Fiscal
Quarter”
is any
fiscal quarter of Customer during the term of this
Agreement.
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2
3.
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Rate
and Price Adjustment.
The cost
guarantee rates under Section 2 and the unit prices shown on Exhibit
A
will change as
follows:
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3.1
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Performance
Guarantee.
During the
first Year, Customer and Ecolab will work in good faith to develop
an
objective and quantifiable written protocol that will be used to
measure
the quantity of linen, apparel and other product processed by Customer
that is removed from service (rag-out) due to stains that could not
be
removed. After that protocol has been developed and agreed to, Ecolab
and
Customer will establish a baseline rate of rag-outs for the first
Year and
establish a target rate of rag-outs for the next Year. If the rag-out
target for a Year is not achieved, then Ecolab will forgo any price
increase due per Sections 3.2 or 3.3 below for the subsequent Year.
This
process will be repeated for each subsequent Year. A “Year”
is any
twelve-month period beginning on the Effective Date or on an anniversary
of that date.
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3.2
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Beginning
of Years 2 and 3.
As of the
beginning of the second Year, the then-current per-unit prices on
Exhibit
A
and the
then-current cost guarantee rates under Section 2 will increase by
a
percentage equal to _____ the percentage reduction in the average
gallons
of water used by Customer/CWT at Customer’s service centers during the
first Year relative to the Base Rate. The “Base
Rate”
is the
average number of gallons of water used/CWT between January 1, 2006
and
March 31, 2006. Customer will provide Ecolab with all relevant
documentation regarding the calculation of the Base Rate. As of the
beginning of the third Year, the then-current per-unit prices on
Exhibit
A
and the
then-current cost guarantee rates under Section 2 will increase by
a
percentage equal to ____ the percentage reduction in the average
gallons
of water/CWT of Customer’s service centers during the second Year relative
to the average gallons of water/CWT of Customer’s service centers during
the first Year. In all cases a price increase will not exceed ___%
per
Year. For example, under the following
matrix:
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Water
Reduction
Price
Increase
___%
Savings ___%
Increase
___%
Savings ___%
Increase
___%
Savings ___%
Increase
___%
Savings ___%
Increase
___%
Savings ___%
Increase
___%
Savings ___%
Increase
Over
___%
Savings Capped
at
___%
If
Ecolab presents
a water-savings recommendation to Customer that does not require significant
capital investment, and that is reasonable in light of necessary costs
associated with implementing that recommendation, but Customer fails or refuses
to implement that recommendation, then Ecolab will be given credit for the
water
savings that reasonably could have been expected to have resulted from the
implementation of that recommendation.
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3.3
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Beginning
of Years 4 and 5.
As of the
beginning of each of the fourth and fifth Years, the per-unit prices
and
the cost guarantee rates in effect as of the end of the immediately
preceding Year will increase by the following calculation: The
rate of
increase in the previous 12 months in the ____ multiplied by the
Growth
Factor. To qualify for any annual increase under this Section 3.3,
Ecolab
must have maintained or improved average gallons/CWT in the Year
just
ended relative to the prior Year. The “Growth
Factor”
will
equal
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A.
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___,
if the
growth in Customer’s purchases (without regard to price increases) between
the second and third Year (with respect to a price adjustment for
the
fourth Year) or between the third and fourth Year (with respect to
a price
adjustment for the fifth Year) increases by more than ___%;
or
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B.
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___,
if that
rate of growth is more than ___% but not more than ___%;
or
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C.
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___,
if that
rate of growth is __% or less.
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4.
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Service
Specifications.
Ecolab will
provide, at no cost to Customer, up to ___ hours of research and
development/laboratory (non-field related) services annually. Additional
hours of such services will be invoiced to Customer at $___ per hour.
In
addition, if after Customer has made a decision to offer its customers
new
linen, apparel or other products, or to use a new wash formula, Ecolab
will provide all necessary services to assist with the implementation
of
such products or wash formulas. Ecolab will perform support and
applications team audits at each service center prior to start-up
and
annually thereafter.
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5.
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Dedicated
Staff.
In exchange
for Customer’s sole supply obligations under Section 1, Ecolab will
provide, at no additional cost to Customer, one dedicated representative
by geographic region (as those regions are defined by Ecolab), dedicated
to service Customer’s service centers located in that region provided the
service centers in that region purchase, in the aggregate, at least
$___
in Products annually, and there are at least ___ service days per
month
based on poundage as shown on Exhibit
B.
Exhibit
B
will also
show the regions for which Ecolab will have a representative dedicated
to
Customer. The dedicated representative will provide basic on-site
service
and technical support, maintenance and operations training, routine
monitoring and calibration, and start-up support. In addition, Ecolab
will
provide a dedicated facilitator to oversee the dedicated representatives
and conduct quarterly and annual reviews to help ensure maximum service
and productivity and quality. Any personnel assignments or changes
will be
discussed with Customer prior to making changes. Coverages in Exhibit
B
will be
re-evaluated any time there is significant change in volume or Customer
adds or closes facilities.
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6.
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Payment
for Products.
Ecolab will
invoice Customer’s service centers on
each
Product shipment date under the per-unit pricing under Section 2.2.
Payment terms are net 30 days. The normal process will be for Ecolab’s
representatives to order the Products for Customer’s service centers and
in such instances Customer will not be responsible for any minimum
order
charges, restocking fees or bulk delivery charges. However, if Customer
places an order for a Product(s) with Ecolab
Customer
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Service,
then
Customer is responsible for any minimum order charge and restocking fees in
accordance with Ecolab’s then-current written policy and any bulk delivery
charges. Ecolab will not accept payment by credit card or similar payment
methods unless otherwise agreed by Ecolab in writing.
7.
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Delivery;
Title to Products.
Ecolab must
deliver the Products to Customer at the times and locations reasonably
requested by Customer. For purposes of this Agreement, “deliver” or
“delivery” includes all actions necessary to transport Product to
Customer’s service center locations as requested by Customer and to
transfer Product from delivery vehicles into bulk or day storage
tanks or
other storage containers or locations requested by Customer. Ecolab
will
retain all responsibility and liability for the Products, including
any
spills or releases thereof, until delivery is complete in compliance
with
all applicable laws and regulations. Likewise, title to and responsibility
for the Products passes to Customer when they are delivered to Customer,
subject to any rightful rejection by Customer after prompt inspection.
Customer may return any rightfully rejected Products to Ecolab at
Ecolab’s
expense. Ecolab may substitute Products with new Products but only
if
Ecolab can demonstrate, to Customer’s reasonable satisfaction, that the
new Products perform as well or better than the old Products and
the total
use cost (after taking into account operational cost savings) of
the new
Products is no greater than the use cost of the old
Products.
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8.
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Product
and Service Quality.
All Products
will meet Ecolab’s standard written specifications then in effect and will
be fit for the uses and purposes described in Ecolab’s Product literature
and all Ecolab services, at the time they are rendered, will be done
in a
good and workmanlike manner. Ecolab will, in its reasonable discretion,
either replace any Product (or re-perform any Services) that is determined
to not meet this warranty or refund the purchase price paid by Customer
for those Products (or Services). In the event that defective Products
are
supplied, or services are negligently rendered by Ecolab, and either
the
defective Products or the negligent services cause damage to the
property
of Customer or any third party, then Ecolab will reimburse Customer
or
such third party, as the case may be, for actual costs incurred as
a
result of such damage, to the extent of Ecolab’s proportionate fault. All
tanks provided by Ecolab to Customer for storage of Product will
meet or
exceed all applicable technical standards and legal requirements
for such
tanks and Product storage. In the event the tanks do not meet or
cease to
meet such standards or requirements, Ecolab will promptly replace
them at
no charge to Customer. The foregoing warranties do not apply to (i)
damage
resulting from misuse, neglect, accident or improper use of any of
the
Products by any person or entity other than Ecolab or (ii) any Product
altered by any person or entity other than Ecolab. ALL
OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE DISCLAIMED.
EACH
PARTY DISCLAIMS LIABILITY TO THE OTHER FOR ALL CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL,
PUNITIVE, AND/OR SPECIAL
DAMAGES.
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9.
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Customer
Indemnification.
With regard
to third party claims, Ecolab will indemnify, defend, and hold Customer
harmless from and against any liability, including reasonable attorneys’
fees and court costs, relating to bodily injury, death or property
damage,
but only to the proportionate extent that such injury, death or property
damage is caused by (i) Ecolab’s breach of warranties given in Section 8
above or (ii) Ecolab’s (or Ecolab’s employees’ or agents’) negligent or
intentionally wrongful acts or omissions. Customer must give Ecolab
prompt
written notice of any claim for which Customer intends to seek recovery
from Ecolab under this Agreement. Customer may not settle, defend
or
litigate any claim for
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5
which
Customer
seeks or will seek indemnification from Ecolab without the prior written consent
of Ecolab, and Ecolab will not be liable for any settlement or claim established
against, or cost or expense incurred by, Customer without that prior written
consent.
10.
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Confidentiality.
During the
course of this Agreement a party (“Disclosing
Party”)
may
disclose to the other party (“Recipient”),
and
Recipient may otherwise come into possession of, certain confidential
and
proprietary information relating to Disclosing Party’s business and
operations, including (but not limited to) inventions, formulas,
technical
information, processes, personnel data, market research data, market
plans, concepts, test results, financial information including cost
data,
customer information and know-how. Such information is deemed
confidential, proprietary, and valuable trade secret information
of
Disclosing Party, which is the exclusive property of Disclosing Party.
Recipient may only use the Confidential Information exclusively for
accomplishing the purposes of the Agreement. All Confidential Information
remains the exclusive property of Disclosing Party, and must be kept
confidential by Recipient and not used for itself or disclosed to
others
except with the prior written consent of an authorized officer of
Disclosing Party or except as required by law. The restrictions and
obligations upon Recipient under this Section 10 will survive the
expiration or earlier termination of this Agreement for a period
of five
years. “Confidential
Information”
does not
include information that: (1) is known to Recipient prior to receipt
under
this Agreement, as evidenced by written records; (2) is disclosed
to
Recipient in good faith by a third party who is in lawful possession
of
that information and who has the right to make such disclosure; or
(3) is
or becomes part of the public domain, by publication or otherwise,
through
no fault of Recipient. All Confidential Information, including all
copies,
will be returned to Disclosing Party upon completion or abandonment
of the
purposes of this Agreement or within 10 days of receipt of Disclosing
Party’s written request to return the Confidential Information.
Notwithstanding the foregoing to the contrary, Ecolab Confidential
Information that is disclosed to Customer for purposes of improving
Customer processes may continued to be used by Customer, on a
non-exclusive basis, after the termination of this Agreement for
its own
purposes in order to maintain those processes but Customer may not
disclose that information to any third parties. Both parties will
treat
the Product prices and other terms of this Agreement as confidential
and,
except as otherwise provided herein, neither party may disclose or
show
such prices or terms to any third party (including, without limitation
any
customer portals or third xxxxx.xxx’s) without the prior written consent
of the other party. Notwithstanding the foregoing to the contrary,
it is
understood and agreed that, (i) Customer will be filing a form 8-K
with
the Securities and Exchange Commission along with a redacted copy
of this
Agreement, all in a form reviewed by Ecolab and (ii) while Customer
will
make all reasonable efforts to lawfully avoid such requirements,
Customer
may disclose the redacted information in connection with any legal
or
regulatory filing that, in the reasonable opinion of Customer and
its
legal counsel, is legally required of Customer and, upon receipt
of notice
of such a legal or regulatory requirement, Customer will promptly
notify
Ecolab of such notification and Ecolab will have the option to terminate
this Agreement upon five days written notice to
Customer.
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11.
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Force
Majeure.
Performance
of any obligation under this Agreement may be suspended, in whole
or part,
by either party without liability to the extent that an act of God,
war,
fire, inability to obtain raw materials due to allocation, or any
other
occurrence beyond the reasonable control of such party or labor trouble,
strike or injunction (if such labor event is not caused by the bad
faith
or unreasonable conduct of such party) delays, prevents, restricts
or
limits the performance of this Agreement. The affected party may
invoke
this provision by promptly notifying the other party of the nature
and
estimated duration of this
suspension.
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12. Term
and
Termination.
12.1
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This
Agreement will continue for five years from the effective date of
this
Agreement, unless terminated earlier as
follows:
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A.
By
mutual written consent of Ecolab and Customer; or
B.
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By
the
non-breaching party upon the failure of the breaching party to cure
a
material breach of any obligations under this Agreement, but only
if such
material breach is not cured within 60 days after written notice
is given
to the breaching party.
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12.2
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Any
termination under Section 12.1(B) is without prejudice to any other
remedies which either party may have against the other arising out
of such
breach or default and will not affect any rights or obligations of
either
party arising under this Agreement prior to such
termination.
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13.
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Assignment;
Binding Effect.
Except as
otherwise provided herein, this Agreement may not be assigned, in
whole or
part, by either party without the prior written consent of the other.
Either party may assign its rights and delegate its obligations under
this
Agreement to any parent, subsidiary or affiliate. Further, Customer
may
assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any third
party
in connection with a merger between Customer and such third party,
or the
sale or other transfer of all, or substantially all, of Customer’s assets
or shares of stock, subject to Ecolab credit approval of the third
party.
This Agreement is binding upon and inures to the benefit of each
party’s
respective successors or assigns, subject to the consent requirements
of
this Section 10. Any service center acquired by Customer which is
otherwise bound by another existing contract with Ecolab will
automatically be subject to the terms of this Agreement and that
other
contract shall be of no further force or effect (but any obligations
accruing prior to and through the date of, or resulting from, the
termination of that other contract must be then satisfied by both
parties).
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14.
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Entire
Agreement; Amendment; Severability.
This
Agreement reflects the entire understanding of the parties and supersedes
all previous and contemporaneous agreements or understandings between
the
parties, both written and verbal, concerning the subject matter of
this
Agreement. This Agreement may only be amended by a writing signed
by
respective representatives of Ecolab and Customer. The terms of any
purchase order (other than the stated quantity ordered), release,
acknowledgment or other document or communication between the parties
will
not apply. If any provision of this Agreement is for any reason held
invalid, ineffective, unenforceable or contrary to public policy,
the
remainder of this Agreement remains in full force and effect
notwithstanding.
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15.
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Notices.
All notices
and other communications under this Agreement must be in writing
and will
be deemed given if delivered personally or mailed by registered or
certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed as follows (or
to such
other address as a party may specify). Notice to Ecolab is only effective
if a copy of the notice is also sent to Ecolab’s General
Counsel.
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Xxxxxxxx
Corporation
Ecolab
Inc.
000
Xxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxx
Xx
000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx Xx.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx,
XX
00000
Xx.
Xxxx, XX 00000
Attn:
General
Counsel
Attn:
Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx, Vice President,
Corporate
Accounts
7
With
a required
copy
to:
With
a
required copy to:
Xxxxxxxx
Textile
Services,
Inc.
Ecolab
Center
0000
Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxx., Xxxxx 000 370
North Wabasha
Xxxxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxx
00000
Xx.
Xxxx, XX 00000
Attn:
President
Attn: General
Counsel
16.
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Governing
Law.
This
Agreement is governed by the internal laws of Minnesota without regard
to
the conflict of laws rules, provisions or statutes of any
jurisdiction.
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17.
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Nonwaiver.
Waiver of
any breach by either party, or failure of either party to exercise
any
rights under this Agreement on one or more occasions is not a waiver
of
any right to exercise that right on another
occasion.
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18.
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Issue
Resolution.
The parties
agree that any issues, controversies or disputes relating to costs,
cleaning quality or safety will be first addressed with the relevant
Ecolab Territory Manager. If such issue cannot be resolved through
Ecolab’s Territory Manager, then the parties will resolve the outstanding
issues, controversies or disputes as follows:
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18.1
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Initial
Step.
The parties
will attempt to promptly and in good faith resolve any issue, dispute
or
controversy arising out of or relating to this Agreement promptly
by
direct negotiation between the parties. If an issue, dispute or
controversy should arise, the Market Operations Director of Customer
and
the Dedicated Representative of Ecolab, or their designated
representatives, or their respective successors in the positions
they now
hold (each a “Project
Manager”),
will give
notice of the dispute or controversy to the other Project Manager
and the
Project Managers will promptly discuss the issue, in person if requested
by either Project Manager, and attempt in good faith to resolve the
matter.
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18.2
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Second
Step.
If the
matter has not been resolved as provided under Section 18.1 above,
then
the Project Managers must give written notice and refer the matter
to Vice
President of Operations and the Director of Purchasing of Customer
and to
Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, Vice President Corporate Accounts, of Ecolab (each
a
“Senior
Executive”),
or their
respective successors, and the Project Managers will promptly prepare
and
exchange memoranda stating the issues in dispute and their positions,
summarizing the negotiations which have taken place and attaching
relevant
documents. Ecolab has seven days to respond in writing with a formal
action plan that defines the objectives and prioritizes actions.
The
parties must mutually agree, in good faith, on an action plan. If
an
action plan cannot be agreed upon, a resolution meeting between the
Market
Operations Director, Operations Manager, Territory Manager, and the
Senior
Executives will be held at the service center. If Ecolab is unable
to meet
the action plan as agreed, Ecolab can resubmit an alternate plan
or move
to mediation as provided in Section 18.3 below.
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18.3
|
Final
Step.
If the
issue has not been resolved within 30 days after the meeting of the
Senior
Executives (which period may be extended by mutual agreement), the
parties
will attempt in good faith to resolve the issue or controversy in
accordance with the then-current Center for Public Resources Model
Procedure for Mediation of Business Disputes. If the issue has not
been
resolved pursuant to that mediation procedure within 60 days of the
commencement of such procedure (which period may be extended by mutual
agreement), either party may terminate this Agreement upon written
notice
to the other party, but only with respect to that specific service
center.
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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF,
the parties execute this Agreement effective as of the date first written
above.
ECOLAB INC. | XXXXXXXX CORPORATION |
By: /s/
Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx
|
By: /s/
Xxxxx X. Xxx
Xxxxx
|
Print
Name: Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx
|
Print
Name: Xxxxx X. Xxx
Xxxxx
|
Title: Executive
Vice
President
|
Title: President/COO
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