The Kent Company was founded in 1913 in Rome, New York, by Gordon Kent based on his invention of a central vacuuming system. IN 1962 Kent merged with Finnell Systems which was founded in Missouri in 1916, and moved to Elkhart, Indiana, in 1928. Manufacturing plants were maintained in both New York and Indiana until 1969 when AB Electrolux of Sweden purchased the company. At that time both administrative and manufacturing operations were consolidated in Elkhart.

In the fall of 1998, Nilfisk-Advance and AB Electrolux of Sweden agreed to merge Nilfisk-Advance with Euroclean and the Kent Company. The Kent and Euroclean brands were reorganized into Kent/Euroclean in 2001 and administrative and manufacturing operations were consolidated in Plymouth, Minnesota during 2002.

The parent company of Nilfisk-Advance is NKT (Northern Kabel and Telegraph), located in Copenhagen, Denmark. NKT is a 100-year-old public corporation manufacturing cables, fiber optics and switching mechanisms.

The company employs 3,000 people globally and markets hundreds of different models of floor cleaning and maintenance equipment through a global network of distributors. Nilfisk-Advance maintains manufacturing facilities in Denmark, Italy, Sweden and the United States of America. Nilfisk-Advance machines include Advance, Nilfisk, Kent, Euroclean, Gerni and Pulimat brands. They are sold in 80 countries around the world including North and South America, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. European, Middle East and South African sales and marketing activities are managed through a network of Nilfisk-Advance subsidiaries.