Air Liquide
Encyclopedia
L'Air Liquide S.A., or Air Liquide (ɛʁ likid; ˌɛər lɨˈkiːd; literally "Liquid Air
"), is a major French
company supplying industrial gas
es 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. It is headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris
, France
. 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.
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 set
s prototypes that Cousteau and Frédéric Dumas
used to shoot the underwater film Épaves (Shipwrecks), directed by Cousteau the same year. 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 regulator
s 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. Acquisition of SEPPIC
, the French specialty chemicals company, as part of its Healthcare World Business Line.
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.
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.
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.”
Liquid Air
Liquid Air was the brand name of an unusual automobile produced by a joint American/English concern between 1899 and 1902.The first factory opened in Boston, Massachusetts in 1899, and its owners claimed that they could construct a car that would run a hundred miles on liquid air. By 1901 the...
"), is a major French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
company supplying industrial gas
Industrial gas
Industrial gas is a group of gases that are commercially manufactured and sold for uses in other applications. These gases are mainly used in an industrial processes, such as steelmaking, oil refining, medical applications, fertilizer, semiconductors, etc.,...
es 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. It is headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Air Liquide owned the patent for Aqua-Lung
Aqua-lung
Aqua-Lung was the original name of the first open-circuit free-swimming underwater breathing set in reaching worldwide popularity and commercial success...
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
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, and Newark, DE
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...
, 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
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
(H2) gas.
As of 2009, the company is ranked 484 in the Fortune Global 500.
History
1902: Georges ClaudeGeorges Claude
Georges Claude was a French engineer and inventor. He is noted for his early work on the industrial liquefaction of air, for the invention and commercialization of neon lighting, and for a large experiment on generating energy by pumping cold seawater up from the depths...
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
Paris Bourse
The Paris Bourse is the historical Paris stock exchange, known as Euronext Paris from 2000 onwards.-History and functioning:...
.
1943: Engineer Émile Gagnan
Emile Gagnan
Émile Gagnan was a French engineer and co-inventor of the diving regulator used for the first Scuba equipment in 1943...
(employee at Air Liquide) and lieutenant de vaisseau (ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant
Ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant
Ship-of-the-line lieutenant is a common naval rank, equivalent to the naval rank of Lieutenant in the UK, Commonwealth and US.The name of the rank derives from the name of the largest class of warship, the ship of the line, as opposed to smaller types of warship .The rank is lieutenant de vaisseau...
) Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer, ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water...
, order to Air Liquide the construction, at its factory in Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt
Boulogne-Billancourt is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Boulogne-Billancourt is a sub-prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt....
, of two scuba set
Scuba set
A scuba set is an independent breathing set that provides a scuba diver with the breathing gas necessary to breathe underwater during scuba diving. It is much used for sport diving and some sorts of work diving....
s prototypes that Cousteau and Frédéric Dumas
Frédéric Dumas
Frédéric Dumas was part of a team of three, with Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Philippe Tailliez, in which he was nicknamed Didi. They had a passion for diving, and developed the diving regulator with the aid of the engineer Émile Gagnan...
used to shoot the underwater film Épaves (Shipwrecks), directed by Cousteau the same year. 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 regulator
Diving regulator
A diving regulator is a pressure regulator used in scuba or surface supplied diving equipment that reduces pressurized breathing gas to ambient pressure and delivers it to the diver. The gas may be air or one of a variety of specially blended breathing gases...
s 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. Acquisition of SEPPIC
SEPPIC
SEPPIC designs and supplies specialty chemical products for health and wellbeing. The company is based in France with distributors and production sites around the world. It has four main areas of business: personal care, pharmaceuticals and nutrition, vaccine adjuvants and injectables, and...
, the French specialty chemicals company, as part of its Healthcare World Business Line.
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
Lurgi
Lurgi can refer to:* Lurgi AG : The German Chemical and construction company* the Lurgi process for making gas from carbonaceous fuel under high pressure* Lurgi generator - a device used to produce gas from coal...
, 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. 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.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.
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.”
Financial data
| Year | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Sales A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity.... |
8 328 | 7 900 | 8 399 | 9 400 | 10 435 | 10 949 |
| EBITDA EBITDA EBITDA is an acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. It is a non-GAAP metric that is measured exactly as stated. All interest, tax, depreciation and amortization entries in the income statement are reversed out from the bottom-line net income... |
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 Research Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method... |
146 | 150 | 146 | 150 | 162 | 173 |
| Employees | 30 800 | 30 800 | 31 900 | 35 900 | 35 900 | 36 900 |
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