- Air Liquide
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This article is about the international industrial gas company. For the electronic band, see Air Liquide (band).
L'Air Liquide S.A. 
Type Société Anonyme Traded as Euronext: AI Industry Chemicals Founded 1902 Headquarters Quai d'Orsay, 7th arrondissement, Paris, France Key people Benoît Potier (Chairman and CEO) Products Industrial gases, fine chemicals Revenue €13.49 billion (2010)[1] Operating income €2.254 billion (2010)[1] Profit €1.404 billion (2010)[1] Total assets €22.54 billion (end 2010)[1] Total equity €9.113 billion (end 2010)[1] Employees 43,600 (average, 2010)[1] Website www.airliquide.com L'Air Liquide S.A., or Air Liquide (French pronunciation: [ɛʁ likid]; English: /ˌɛər lɨˈkiːd/; literally "Liquid Air"), is a major French company supplying industrial gases and services to various industries including medical, chemical and electronic manufacturers. Founded in 1902, it is first in the world market in its field, now operating in over 80 countries.[2] It is headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France.[3] Air Liquide owned the patent for Aqua-Lung until it time-expired.
Although Air Liquide's headquarters are located in Paris, France, it also has a major site in Japan (ALL), as well as in Houston, TX, and Newark, DE, USA. There is an emphasis on Research and Development (R&D) throughout the entire Air Liquide company. R&D targets the creation of not only industrial gases, but also gases that are used in products such as healthcare items, electronic chips, foods and chemicals. The major R&D groups within Air Liquide focus on analysis, bioresources (foods and chemicals), combustion, membranes, modeling, and the production of Hydrogen (H2) gas.
As of 2009, the company is ranked 484 in the Fortune Global 500.[4]
Contents
History
1902: Georges Claude and Paul Delorme develop a process for liquefying air to separate the components. First drops of liquid air and creation of the company of the same name. Paul Delorme is the first president.
1906: Launch of international expansion, first in Belgium and Italy, then also in Canada, Japan and Hong Kong.
1913: Air Liquide joins the Paris Bourse.
1943: Engineer Émile Gagnan (employee at Air Liquide) and lieutenant de vaisseau (ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant) Jacques-Yves Cousteau, order to Air Liquide the construction, at its factory in Boulogne-Billancourt, of two scuba sets prototypes that Cousteau and Frédéric Dumas used to shoot the underwater film Épaves (Shipwrecks), directed by Cousteau the same year.[5] They were the first modern diving regulators.
1945: After the war, Jean Delorme, second president of the Group seeks to restore roads, renovate, develop the tool industry.
1946: Air Liquide founds La Spirotechnique, its own division destined to conceive and commercialize regulators and other diving equipements. The same year La Spirotechnique launches the CG45, the first modern regulator to be commercialized. The year 1946 represents thus the beginning of the popularisation of scuba diving.
1957: Launch of great activity and industry networking pipes irrigating several major industrial areas in the world.
1962: Launch of space adventure
1986: Deployment in the United States with the acquisition of Big Three and implementation in many countries, particularly in Europe and Asia.
1995: Creation of Air Liquide Health: structure, teams, a gas supply medical equipment and services, fully dedicated to the medical sector, first at the hospital, then to patients' homes.
1996: Acquisition of Schuelke and Mayr in Germany.
2001: Acquisition of Messer Griesheim in South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Egypt, Argentina and Brazil.
2003: Creation of a joint venture with BOC in Japan: Japan Air Gases (JAG), strengthening the group's presence in the Far East market.
2004: Acquisition of Messer Griesheim in Germany, UK and the USA.
2007: Acquisition of Linde Gas UK.
2007: Acquisition of the German engineering company Lurgi, which doubles the capacity of the engineering group
2008: The investment company Eurazeo, which owns 5.6% since 2006 group, announces to divest its stake.Environmental record
The Air Liquide group helps companies in a number of industries through industrial gas and energy solutions services. As a result of Air Liquide, many companies worldwide have improved their process efficiency and have been able to better handle their environmental responsibilities.[6] The French company operates around 200 hydrogen production units in 70 different countries. In the period from 2005 to 2008, Air Liquide has increased its hydrogen production by more than 50 percent.[7]
In early 2008, Air Liquide entered a long term contract with Nest Oil’s Renewable Diesel Plant to supply hydrogen. Air Liquide is building a unit on Jurong Island to provide the means for the deal. They also hope to turn the unit into an integrated Hydrogen Pipeline Network that will be able to provide services to many companies around the region.[6]
Also, Air Liquide in conjunction with Natural Resources Canada, through the Canadien Transportation Alliance, have opened the first permanent hydrogen fueling station in Ottawa. The station is the tenth hydrogen station built in Canada. The two companies each contributed $800,000 to construct the hydrogen station. Luc Doyon, President and CEO of Air Liquid Canada stated, “As we work toward the transition to a renewable hydrogen economy, Air Liquide Canada is delighted to see the next step in this project become a reality. Our partnership with government and industry to educate the public about hydrogen as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels is an example of our joint commitment to sustainable development.”[8]
Financial data
Financial data in millions of euro Year 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Sales 8 328 7 900 8 399 9 400 10 435 10 949 EBITDA 1 833 1 960 1 975 2 084 2 415 2 567 Net Results 460 703 725 778 933 1 002 Net Debt 2 584 2 022 1 730 3 790 3 740 3 447 Research 146 150 146 150 162 173 Employees 30 800 30 800 31 900 35 900 35 900 36 900 -
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References
- ^ a b c d e f "Annual Report 2010". Air Liquide. http://www.airliquide.com/file/otherelement/pj/annual%20report%2058396.pdf. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
- ^ "[1]." Air Liquide. Retrieved on 31 January 2011.
- ^ "Legal notice." Air Liquide. Retrieved on 7 July 2010.
- ^ ""Air Liquide in Fortune Global 500 2009", July 20, 2009. Accessed August 18, 2010.
- ^ Those two scuba sets made by Air Liquide are mentioned in the opening credits of the film as scaphandre autonome "air liquide" système cousteau ("air liquide's scuba set, cousteau system"). See the film Épaves, in Google vidéos (1943, in French).
- ^ a b ""Air Liquide: SOXAL Develops Key Hydrogen Business in Singapore", fininfo.fr. January 15, 2008. Accessed May 16, 2008.
- ^ "Air Liquide signs letter of intent with ConocoPhillips to construct new hydrogen unit in the San Francisco Bay Area", euronext.com. January 30, 2006. Accessed May 16, 2008.
- ^ "Environment Minister Baird Opens Ottawa's First Hydrogen Fuelling Station", Marketwire. October 14, 2007. Accessed May 16, 2008.
External links
CAC 40 companies of FranceAccor · Air Liquide · Alcatel-Lucent · Alstom · ArcelorMittal · AXA · BNP Paribas · Bouygues · Capgemini · Carrefour · Crédit Agricole · EADS · EDF · Essilor · France Télécom · GDF Suez · Groupe Danone · L'Oréal · Lafarge · LVMH · Michelin · Pernod Ricard · PSA Peugeot Citroën · PPR · Publicis · Renault · Safran · Saint-Gobain · Sanofi · Schneider Electric · Société Générale · STMicroelectronics · Suez Environnement · Technip · Total · Unibail-Rodamco · Vallourec · Veolia Environnement · VINCI · Vivendi
Categories:- Companies listed on the Euronext exchanges
- CAC 40 companies
- Companies of France
- Companies based in Paris
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