industry news - CryoGas International

INDUSTRY NEWS
LINDE CONTINUES TO COMPLETE MERGER DEALS
Linde has sold BOC Gazy Sp zo.o, its Polish gases company, to Air Products and
Chemicals, Inc. for 370 million euros ($481
million). The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. For European Union regulatory
purposes, BOC Gazy was required to be sold
by Linde as a result of its purchase of The
BOC Group plc in September 2006.
The BOC Gazy business had fiscal year
2006 sales of approximately 126 million
euros ($164 million) and earnings before tax,
interest, depreciation and amortization
(EBITDA) of approximately 38 million
euros ($50 million). The business has
approximately 750 employees, five major
industrial gas plants and six cylinder transfills serving customers across a diverse range
of industries, including chemicals, steel and
base metals, among others. Figure 1 shows
Figure 1
February 2007 — CryoGas International
the location of these facilities and Figure 2
describes the BOC Gazy’s sales mix. After
synergies are taken into account, the Purchase Price to Revenues ratio will be reduced
from 9.7 to 7.4.
BOC GAZY SALES MIX
OSP
22%
Bulk
35%
Packaged
Gas
43%
Sales 126mm Euro
Figure 2
Source: Air Products & Chemicals
Commenting on this transaction, Air Products Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
John Jones said, “We’re taking advantage of a
unique opportunity to become the number
one industrial gas supplier in Central
Europe’s fastest growing economy. With
manufacturing moving eastward in Europe
and investment increasingly flowing in that
direction, we intend to capitalize on the substantial growth potential in these markets.
The business we are acquiring is very attractive and fits our strategy to become a higher
growth and higher return company. It allows
us to build critical mass and a low cost position in the region and be a bridge to serving a
broad range of customers across Central and
Eastern Europe.”
Air Products operates in 15 countries
throughout Europe, including the central and
eastern European countries of the Slovak
Source: Air Products and Chemicals
3
INDUSTRY NEWS
Republic, the Czech Republic, Russia and
Poland. Total European sales in Air Products’ 2006 fiscal year were approximately
$2.6 billion. This acquisition increases Air
Products’ sales in Central Europe from $66
million to $230 million, or by a factor of 3.5.
Within Poland, Air Products has been a supplier of industrial gases since the early
1990s and has annual sales of about 11 million euros ($15 million).
In another Linde-BOC merger-related
transaction, The Linde Group and the Australian company Wesfarmers Energy
Limited have entered into a final agreement
for the sale of Linde Gas Australia, Linde’s
Australian gas company, to Wesfarmers for
about 300 million euro. Linde Gas Australia
is one of the major participants in the Australian industrial gas market. The company
has a well-established presence in New
South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and
South Australia through both direct sales and
a wide network of agents and distributors.
Linde Gas Australia had sales of 61 million
euro in the financial year 2005.
The Australian Competition & Consumer
Commission (ACCC) is not expected to
oppose the proposed acquisition of Linde
Gas Australia by Wesfarmers. The disposal
of Linde Gas Australia was one of the conditions imposed by the ACCC on the LindeBOC acquisition.
In a third transaction, The Linde Group
sold its 45 percent holding in the joint venture Japan Air Gases, Tokyo, to Air Liquide, for about 9.5 times EBITDA. Linde
will receive an amount of approximately 590
million euro, before taxes and after deduction of debt and pensions. The completion of
the transaction is subject to approval of the
competition authorities.
Prior to this sale, Air Liquide held a
majority, 55 percent, of the shares in Japan
Air Gases (JAG). The joint venture expects
sales of approximately 930 million euros
($1.2 million), in fiscal year 2006. The
restructuring of this joint venture was one
of the conditions imposed by the European
Commission when it authorized the acquisition of The BOC Group by Linde. The
completion of this transaction is subject to
approval by the European competition
authorities. JAG’s approximate 930 million euros ($120 million) in sales in 2006
are currently fully consolidated in the
Group’s accounts. This acquisition will have
a positive impact on the Group’s results
from 2007.
JAG was created in January 2003 following the merger of the industrial and medical
gas businesses of Air Liquide Japan and
Osaka Sanso Kogyo (BOC’s Japanese subsidiary). Japan Air Gases has become a significant player in the Japanese market,
employing more than 2,000 people. Over the
past four years, the company has made
investments of more than 300 million euros,
half of this being invested in 2006. Most
recently, a partnership was established
between JAG and Toshiba Corporation for the
supply of services relating to the analysis
and evaluation of products and equipment
for the electronics industry.
Air Liquide has been present in Japan
since 1907, supplying gas to the shipbuilding
industry which required oxygen and acetylene, and welding and cutting techniques.
Today, Japan is a strategic market for Air Liquide, where in addition to Japan Air Gases, it
has a Research Center, an Engineering center
and where it has located its worldwide Electronics division management.
Commenting on this development, Benoît
Potier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Air Liquide Group, said, “This
reinforcement of our position in Japan constitutes a new major strategic step forward
for the Group in Asia, precisely when the
Japanese market has returned to growth.
From now on, thanks to Air Liquide’s presence in more than 70 countries, Japan Air
Gases will be able to accompany its cus-
tomers in their developments throughout the
world. Today, with nearly 20 percent of the
Group’s revenues, Asia lies at the heart of our
growth strategy.”
Our Latin American correspondent,
Eduardo Pelitti, reports on the effects of the
Linde acquisition of BOC in that region. He
explains that in Venezuela, the combined
companies of Linde and BOC will have an
estimated market share of about 50 percent of
that market and anti-trust authorities there
could still require some adjustments in certain markets like the medical sector. Treatment of the case by local regulators in
Colombia has been delayed and some conditions for the merger could be imposed since
the combined share of Linde (AGA) and BOC
could be in excess of 60 percent in that country. In Chile, Praxair unsuccessfully raised its
concerns before the anti-trust authorities
about a combination of Linde (AGA) and
Indura, based on the fact that the combined
company market share would be more than
70 percent. Indura’s President, Felipe
Briones, announced that they have reached an
agreement with Linde-BOC that the BOC
shares will be sold through an initial public
offering in the first half of 2007, with the
Briones Group having a preference to acquire
an additional 10 percent package. (For further
details see the “Latin American 2006:
Another Good Year for Industrial Gases” on
page 44 of this issue.)
Linde has also concluded the sale of its
forklift division KION Group at a price of 4
billion euro to the consortium comprising the
financial investors Kohlberg Kravis
Roberts & Co. (KKR) and Goldman
Sachs Capital Partners. Having received all
the required approvals from the European
Commission and from the competition
authorities in Switzerland and the US, this
transaction is now complete. Kion has served
Linde well as a major piece of the financing
❑
of the BOC acquisition.
AIR LIQUIDE INVESTS IN TAIWAN
Air Liquide Electronics will invest in a new
equipment assembly center in the Central
Taiwan Science Park at Taichung to serve the
electronics industry. This new division will be
called Air Liquide Electronics Systems Asia
(ALES Asia), and will complement the Air
Liquide Electronics Systems (ALES) equipment design and manufacturing site near
Grenoble, France. ALES Asia will be devoted
entirely to assembling distribution equipment
for the extremely high-purity fluids used in
electronics and flat panels manufacturing.
With this investment, Air Liquide believes it
will enhance its position in Asia to take
advantage of growth opportunities in this
vibrant market.
Air Liquide seeks to become a more active
player in Taiwan’s electronics sector by providing high-purity fluids through products
like its Jumbo system, which offers extremely
pure, reliable, and competitive bulk specialty
gases, as well as through equipment for distributing these fluids through ALES Asia.
Christophe Fontaine, Vice President Electronics, Air Liquide Group, stated: “These
new investments in Asia support our recent
sales wins, especially in Taiwan, where leaders in the electronics industry, such as AUO,
CMO, etc. have put their trust in Air Liq-
4
February 2007 — CryoGas International
INDUSTRY NEWS
uide. ALES’ skills in equipment design and
manufacture, combined with our local presence through Air Liquide Far Eastern,
enhance our offer and credibility in Taiwan,
and more broadly across the entire Asian
high-tech market.”
❑
AP AND LINDE TEAM UP
ON COLLIDER
Air Products and Linde signed an agreement
to pursue refrigeration services for the proposed International Linear Collider (ILC).
Air Products and Linde will combine their
industrial expertise in providing, operating,
and maintaining the cryogenic equipment for
the ILC. A site for the ILC has yet to be
announced, however, Production Test Site
refrigerators and related equipment for the
ILC may be selected as early as 2007, with
overall project bids to occur in 2010.
The International Linear Collider is a proposed new electron-positron collider that will
allow physicists to explore energy regions
beyond the reach of today’s accelerators. At
the energies to be reached by this collider,
researchers anticipate significant discoveries
that could lead to a radically new understanding of what the universe is made of and how
it works. One of the keys to the project’s success will be in the operation of the Superconducting RF Cavities, which will need to be
super-cooled to function properly. An international team leads the global design effort for
the ILC. The United States Department of
Energy is providing US funding for this effort
with Europe and Asia also providing funds.
“This is an international project which will
require highly technical knowledge and
skills. Both Air Products and Linde have specific expertise. Through this Teaming Agreement, we believe we can provide the best
technology, operating practices, and safety
practices to help this project succeed,” said
Phil Winkler, manager, Government Contracting and Licensing for Air Products.
“Following the anticipated accomplishments of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider)
project, the ILC will provide a more focused
view into the fundamental makeup of matter.
By combining the expertise and experience in
helium system technology of both companies, we are well prepared to support the
cryogenic requirements of the ILC project.
We are excited and look forward to contributing to the success of the ILC,” said John
Urbin, Business Unit Manager for Cryogenic
❑
Systems at Linde Process Plants.
February 2007 — CryoGas International
AP EXPANDS R&D IN ASIA
Air Products has expanded its research and
development (R&D) capabilities at both of its
Taiwan and Korea labs to support its fastgrowing electronics business in Asia. The two
R&D labs, equipped with the latest analytical,
defect inspection, formulation and cleaning
tools, will enable Air Products to better support
the development of the advanced integrated
circuit (IC) industry to meet customers’ needs.
Air Products’ Taiwan R&D lab, located
in Chu-Pei County, is close to the
renowned Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park. Since 2001 the lab has focused
on electronics formulated products (EFP)
applications and is equipped with various
wafer cleaning and analysis tools. The
recent expansion includes a new general
chemical lab to conduct chemical screening and process tuning and extra office
5
INDUSTRY NEWS
AP AND SINOPEC FORM JV
Air Products and Sinopec announced plans
to form a joint venture (JV) company with
Nanjing Chemical Industries Co. Ltd. (Nanjing Chemical), a subsidiary of Sinopec
Assets Management Corporation, which is
a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group), to
produce hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and
liquid products. A Letter of Intent to form
the JV was recently signed in Beijing by the
two companies.
Air Products and Nanjing Chemical will
jointly build and operate an air separation unit
and a hydrogen facility in Nanjing. Slated to
come on-stream in 2009, this facility will
have the capacity to produce more than 100
million standard cubic feet per day
(MMSCFD) of hydrogen for Nanjing Chemical and other customers in the Nanjing area
to meet their industrial gas needs.
“We sincerely thank Sinopec and Nanjing
Chemical for the faith that they have shown
in Air Products by selecting us to be their
partner. The signing of this joint venture Letter of Intent marks a great moment as our
two companies come together. I very much
look forward to the successful partnership
that the venture will bring,” said John
McGlade, president and chief operating officer of Air Products.
“This project reflects the new trend of
global economy. It meets Sinopec’s requirement of resource optimization and benefits
the local economy,” said Leng Tai Min,
Director and Vice President of Sinopec Assets
Management Corporation.
“The signing of this Letter of Intent signifies that both companies have reached a new
milestone in establishing a strategic partnership in the industrial gas business,” said Yuan
Jian Ning, President of Nanjing Chemical. ❑
space to accommodate increased numbers
of R&D staff.
Air Products’ Korea R&D lab, located in
Giheung, is close to the company’s major
customers in Korea. The centre is equipped
with various state-of-the-art analytical tools
and a new atomic layer deposition (ALD)
system to conduct various high-k dielectrics
and barrier precursor and chamber clean studies to meet the request of local customers.
6
The expansion of Korea and Taiwan labs is
Air Products’ continuing commitment to
strengthen its product leadership through
innovative solutions and value added offerings to support the fast-growing business in
Asia. Additionally, the company has also significantly upgraded its Performance Materials technical capabilities in China and Japan.
The China lab is currently being expanded to
accommodate broader R&D work.
❑
BOC RECEIVES
GOOGLE SEARCH
SUPERSTAR AWARD
BOC Gases, now part of the Linde Group,
received the Google Enterprise Search Superstar Award for its innovative use of Google’s
Search Appliance, enabling employees to
quickly locate business information and
employee expertise. BOC received the award
for its 2006 implementation of the Google
Search Appliance and OneBox for Enterprise, which allow knowledge and information to be shared easily across the entire
company.
❑
February 2007 — CryoGas International
INDUSTRY NEWS
BOC EXPANDS
PRODUCTION
BOC Gases, a member of The Linde Group,
has signed a multi-year contract worth over
$20 million with Gerdau Ameristeel, the second largest minimill steel producer in North
America with annual manufacturing capacity
of over 8.4 million tons of mill finished steel
products. BOC, which now supplies Gerdau’s Knoxville, TN, steel mill with liquefied oxygen and nitrogen, will construct an
air separation unit to provide the mill with
over 130 tons a day of gaseous oxygen and
nitrogen. The capacity will support Gerdau’s
plan to increase the mill’s long term competitive position.
The Knoxville mill recycles scrap metal to
produce long products, such as rebar and
plain rounds for customers. It is one of four
Gerdau steel mills in the US that BOC supplies under multi-year contracts.
Ray Carr, BOC Tonnage Business Vice
President, said, “BOC and Gerdau collaborated closely to develop a plan to accommodate the total site requirements. The solution
we achieved will deliver optimal value to the
site to support Gerdau’s growth targets and
competitive position in the marketplace.”
Arlan Piepho, Vice President and General
Manager, Gerdau Knoxville, said, “Like Gerdau, BOC is focused on continual improvement. BOC aligned its objectives with ours to
identify and reach a common goal that
improves our overall plant economics.” ❑
LINDE AND MESSER
FORM JV
Limes, a new joint venture between Linde
and Messer, is investing 20 million euros in a
production facility in the French region of
Brittany. The production facility for industrial
gases, will be a 50/50 joint venture (jv) by the
French subsidiaries of German industrial gas
specialists Linde AG and the Messer Group
GmbH. The air separation unit (ASU) will go
into operation in the second quarter of 2008.
The ASU plant will have a production
capacity of 300 tons of nitrogen, oxygen,
and argon per day and will have the ability
to produce high-purity oxygen for use in
lasers, nitrogen for use in the food industry,
and argon, which is primarily used for welding. The new plant is expected to benefit
many of the manufacturing companies in
western France and will considerably
increase the supply of industrial gases available in the region.
❑
February 2007 — CryoGas International
LINDE AND SINOPEC QILU
SIGN AGREEMENT
Linde and SINOPEC Qilu Company have
signed an agreement to form a 50/50 joint
venture and have also agreed on a long term
industrial gases supply contract. The joint
venture, named Zibo BOC Qilu Gases Co.,
Ltd., has a total investment of approximately 64 million USD. SINOPEC Qilu’s
two existing air separation units (ASUs)
will become property of the new jv and a
new ASU with a capacity of 1,500 tons of
oxygen per day will be built at Zibo, Shandong Province (PRC), coming on-stream in
March 2008. Ultimately, the jv will supply
SINOPEC Qilu, other companies in the
Zibo area, and third party markets with a
total of more than 4,000 tons of oxygen,
nitrogen and argon per day.
“This joint venture will reinforce the
7
INDUSTRY NEWS
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strategic partnership between The Linde
Group and SINOPEC. Zibo BOC Qilu
Gases will be the leading supplier of industrial gases in the region, and improve our
capability to serve one of our core customers with optimal solutions,” said Trevor
Burt, member of the Executive Board of
Linde AG and responsible for the Asia/
Pacific region.
8
For information on how you can
qualify for the ENABLESM Distributor
Development Program, contact Mary
Smickenbecker at 215-648-4020, or
send an email to
enableme@mathesontrigas.com
“With the objective of focusing on our
core business, and looking at the very good
track record of BOC in China, we selected
The Linde Group as our partner. The economic benefits for both parties from this joint
venture will secure a win-win relationship,”
commented Wang Shude, Manager of
SINOPEC Qilu.
❑
Distributors, Suppliers,
Technology…
AIRGAS ACQUIRES CFC REFIMAX
Airgas, Inc. announced the acquisition of
CFC Refimax, LLC, a leading full-service
refrigerant supplier and reclamation company
based in Atlanta, GA. The business, which
has about 50 employees, mostly based in
Atlanta, generated about $21 million in
annual sales in 2006. Refimax was integrated
into Airgas Specialty Products, a national distributor of ammonia products and services,
various process chemicals, and refrigerants,
effective January 1, 2007. Airgas Specialty
Products is part of the Gas Operations Division, which also includes Airgas Carbonic
and Dry Ice, and Airgas Nitrous Oxide.
“In recent years, Refimax has worked with
Airgas regional companies to help develop and
expand our refrigerant product and service
offering to customers,” said Chuck Broadus,
President of Airgas Specialty Products, who
noted that Airgas already had a national presence as a distributor of refrigerants. “This
acquisition will advance our strategy to expand
our refrigerants business and to broaden our
product offerings and capabilities.”
❑
DIVERSIFIED ETHANOL
CLOSES DEAL
Diversified Ethanol, a division of Originally
New York, Inc., has signed a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) with US Sustainable
Energy Corp. to acquire certain assets and
patent pending technology, which can convert
biomass into valuable 7-3-7 fertilizer. Its byproducts can be readily and cheaply converted
into a revolutionary new type of biofuel that
resembles biodiesel. The net result has been
certified to produce five gallons of fuel per
bushel of soybeans, almost double the industry standard for biodiesel. The technology can
also run on cow manure and wood chips. By
combining Diversified Ethanol and USSE’s
technology, the company believes it can produce 200 proof ASTM certified ethanol 60
percent cheaper than any other technology in
the world. The company believes this technology has an immediate market value of
between $9-12 billion.
CEO Taylor Moffitt stated, “We are honored to be a part of this historic contribution
to mankind. We are here to help farmers,
lessen the heavy yoke of imported fuel, help
to create food and jobs for Americans, and
offer the greatest solution to the world’s need
February 2007 — CryoGas International
INDUSTRY NEWS
for energy that has ever been conceived since
humans harnessed the power of fire itself.
This is truly going to change the way the
world thinks about energy.”
The company intends to begin utilizing the
low-cost fuel to power its own ethanol plants
with nearly free steam, and to build what will
be the world’s largest ethanol plant with the
help of other established ethanol engineering
firms. Present ethanol projects will continue. ❑
PDI ACQUIRES TWO COMPANIES
Praxair Distribution, Inc., a subsidiary of
Praxair, Inc., has acquired the packaged gas
business and facilities of Lake County Medical Gas, Inc. of Mundelein, IL and Withrow
Oxygen Service, Inc. of South Lake Tahoe,
CA. The firms, with a total of eight employees, were acquired November 30, and
December 1, 2006 respectively and had combined total sales of approximately $2 million
in their prior fiscal years. Each company
operates a retail store for the sale of welding,
medical and industrial gases and related
equipment, supplies and technical solutions.
Withrow Oxygen Service also operates a
small warehouse. This facility will serve as a
local distribution point for welding supplies
and other gases.
“These acquisitions will strengthen our
ability to serve customers in their respective
geographies,” said Praxair Distribution, Inc.
President Wayne Yakich. “Both firms have
operated since 1979 and have built strong
reputations for superior customer service.
We welcome their eight employees to the
Praxair team. Together we will grow Praxair’s sales in CA and IL by providing the
technical solutions and quality products
Praxair customers expect.” Yakich said both
firms will be integrated into the Praxair Distribution organization.
❑
PRAXAIR DISTRIBUTION ACQUIRES
BLUE RHINO
Praxair Distribution, a division of Praxair
Canada Inc., has acquired the Canadian
propane tank-exchange business of Blue
Rhino, a Ferrellgas Partners L.P. company.
Under the agreement, Praxair acquired
over 900 propane tank-exchange display
cages at retail locations across Canada. In
addition, it will take over the contract to supply more than 300 retail gasoline stations
belonging to Shell Canada Products with 20
lb propane tanks for their exchange program.
In conjunction with this transaction, Praxair
February 2007 — CryoGas International
also signed a distributor agreement with
Superior Tank Incorporated. Superior Tank
will serve Praxair’s propane tank-exchange
customers in the Atlantic Provinces.
Previously, Praxair provided propane tank
filling and distribution services for Blue
Rhino retailers in the six largest provinces of
Canada. Now, Praxair will not only fill the tanks
but will also market propane tank-exchange
under its own trademark, PropaneQuikSwap,
in 10 provinces across Canada.
“With six propane fill plants serving
Canada, we are uniquely positioned to service the 20 lb propane tank-exchange market,”
said Pat Heffernan, Vice President and General Manager – Canada, for Praxair Distribution. (For more information on the Propane
Industry see “Propane: A Clean Burning Fuel
Finds Applications Growing,” CGI, December 2006.)
❑
9
INDUSTRY NEWS
GAWDA UNIVERSITY —SEMINAR ANNOUNCEMENT
GAWDA University will hold a seminar on
Crisis Management and Emergency
Planning as an addition to its Annual Regulatory Update Seminar in Indianapolis, Ind.,
March 27-30, 2007. The new seminar module is an introduction to crisis management
and medial interaction specifically designed
for the welding and gases industry.
This segment will include the elements
of a crisis plan, a site emergency plan, and
a business continuity plan, as well how to
deal with the various critical audiences,
such as media interaction and employee and
community communications.
The remaining three days will be dedicated to providing an understanding of the
basic regulatory and compliance requirements for welding distributors, and features
an update on new and recently changed regulatory requirements. The course will cover
OSHA and EPA requirements, DOT and
Homeland Security regulations, and Medical Gas and FDA compliance. The threeday class features a safety and EPA day, a
DOT and Security day, and an FDA day,
allowing attendees to select the classes they
want to attend. The format of the course is
classroom training with ample time for
questions from attendees.
For more information, contact B&R
Compliance Associates at training@brcompliance.com. To register for the seminar on
line, use the B&R website at www.brcompliance.com.
❑
Mergers and Acquisitions…
SHERWOOD
RAISES PRICES
Sherwood, a division of Harsco GasServ,
raised price increases effective January 15,
2007 for the company’s line of specialty gas
products. James M. Demitrieus, PresidentSherwood Operations, said this, “Significant
price increases for raw materials, the downstream impact of sustained higher energy
costs and freight make it necessary to
dlhC5000Ad4.625x7.75.indd 1
10
Thermo Electron Corp. and Fisher Scientific International Inc. announced that the
merger of the two companies has been completed, creating Thermo Fisher Scientific
Inc. The companies combined in a tax-free,
increase our price schedules for our specialty stock-for-stock transaction following antigas product line.” Demitrieus further
noted
clearance received from the European
3/9/06
7:28:46 trust
PM
that basic metals cost world wide for nickel, Commission earlier today. The new company,
stainless steel, zinc, and more, are impacting headquartered in Waltham, MA, has approxithe global market. All orders placed prior to mately $9 billion in revenues and 30,000
Jan. 15, will be accepted on a first- employees. Thermo Fisher Scientific will
come/first-served basis contingent upon trade on the New York Stock Exchange under
available inventory and manufacturing the symbol “TMO.”
capacity at time of order.
❑
“This is a historic day for both companies,
as two industry leaders join forces to create
February 2007 — CryoGas International
INDUSTRY NEWS
Thermo Fisher Scientific,” said Marijn E.
Dekkers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. “The new
company combines Thermo’s industry-leading analytical instrumentation with Fisher’s
world-renowned laboratory reagents and
consumables. As a result, we can deliver
advanced technological solutions and integrated workflows to help our customers push
the boundaries of scientific discovery, with
increased efficiency. In addition, we have
unprecedented access to our customers
across the globe through the largest sales
force in the industry, and through our catalog
and e-commerce channels. With a seasoned
leadership team in place, we now look forward to realizing the benefits of this combination quickly and seamlessly, while
working toward the long-term success of our
new organization.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Fisher
shareholders received 2.00 shares of Thermo
common stock for each share of Fisher common stock they own. Thermo’s shareholders
own approximately 39 percent of the combined company, and Fisher shareholders own
approximately 61 percent.
❑
In Other News…
The Compressed Gas Association (CGA)
94th Annual Meeting, scheduled for March
18-22, 2007, at the Renaissance Vinoy
Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg, FL
will feature a numbers of events and committee meetings. CGA recently announced the
addition of two events, a breakfast and a
lunch that would allow greater opportunities
for members to network with their industry
peers. These events were added based on the
results of a member survey conducted this
past summer. This year’s annual meeting
hopes to be a valuable learning experience
for all who attend, allowing CGA a chance to
offer its members an opportunity to experience all the ways CGA can help their business grow, as well as offer a chance to enjoy
time with fellow colleagues.
❑
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Globetrotters…
Airco Distributor Association (ADA) has
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❑
Some 50 distributors recently attended the
Airco Distributor Association (ADA)’s
11th Annual Meeting held in Reno, NV,
last month. Since its inception in 1993, the
This year’s meeting was sponsored by ADA
preferred vendors Bernard, Direct Wire and
Cable, Flame Technologies, Harsco
GasServ, Hypertherm, Label Solutions,
February 2007 — CryoGas International
Metabo, Norton Abrasives, ORS Nasco,
Raterman Manufacturing, Smith Equipment Company, Thermal Dynamics, John
Tillman Company, Tweco/Arcair, Washington Alloys, Weldcote Metals, Weldcraft
and Worthington Industries.
❑
Jim O’Connor, North American Distribution Manager for the Norton Abrasives,
based in Worcester, MA said the annual
11
INDUSTRY NEWS
meeting provides “the best opportunity Norton Abrasives and Carborundum Abrasives
have to strengthen our relationship with distributors by discussing ways to improve sales
for our companies.”
❑
Jay Anand, Vice President, Med-Tech Gases
of Medford, MA., was one distributor member attending the meeting for the first time.
“Having strategic relationships with vendors
is an important part of business success. The
meeting allows members to create and nurture
new and existing vendor relationships.”
❑
Don Bobyk, Vice President of Sales and
Marketing for the Cedar Park, Texas,-based
Flame Technologies, said the meeting was
particularly useful for its small group presentation format, which “allowed a lot of detailed
discussion on the specific requirements of
individual ADA members and allowed us to
explain our products’ features and benefits so
members can better help their customers solve
technical application questions.”
❑
Craig Wood, Executive Vice President,
Welding Division, O. E. Meyer Company,
Sandusky, OH, and co-chairman of the
ADA, welcomed attendees and emphasized
membership responsibilities and commitment to preferred vendors. Terry Hall, Vice
President, Independent Distributor Business, BOC Gases, and ADA co-chairman,
spoke to the group about BOC and Linde’s
recent merger and the formation of The
Linde Group, and the industrial gas industry’s supply position. Hall recognized the
dozens of BOC and independent distributor
employees who contribute their time to the
ADA’s various committees to make the association a success.
❑
ORS Nasco, the Muskogee, OK, supplier of
welding, industrial, safety and oilfield equipment, was voted by ADA members as Vendor of the Year. Craig Loos, Executive
Vice-President, Sales Development for
ORS Nasco, said, “ORS Nasco is honored to
be chosen as ADA’s vendor of the year. Our
relationship with ADA is over 12 years old
and we are very grateful for the members’
support. We remain committed to meeting
and exceeding the ADA’s expectations in
areas such as product selection, end-user
marketing tools and vendor managed
inventory program.”
❑
Concoa, a manufacturer of gas pressure
and control equipment and delivery systems, will expand its gas pressure/ flow
control equipment and distribution systems
into new markets worldwide and has appointed
Richard Green Manager
of Business Development. In his new role
Green will assume responsibility for identifying and
marketing Concoa’s gas
Richard Green
control technology to new
business segments, as well as managing the
laser and blender product lines. Previously
Green served as Product Manager for four
years, charged with product development,
marketing, serving key accounts, and developing business globally. Earlier he was Territorial Manager for a nine-state region,
developing applications to meet specific
industrial gas needs.
❑
Cyl-Tec, Inc., Aurora, IL, a provider of steel
and aluminum high-pressure cylinders, acetylene cylinders, portable cryogenic cylinders,
and other related items, has appointed Kurt
G. Wagner to West Coast Regional Sales
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February 2007 — CryoGas International
INDUSTRY NEWS
Manager. Wagner brings with him the
expertise in the industry gleened from his
experience in various account management
positions at Airgas, Inc.
❑
“Kurt will meet and exceed the sales management and customer service our customers
expect,” said Bennett. Wagner will cover the
northwest and southwest states including
Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Jim Bennett,
President, Cyl-Tec, says, “We welcome Kurt
to our growing company and its leadership
position in the industry. It is an exciting and
excellent opportunity to become part of a
dynamic management team.”
❑
Vern Lewis Welding Supply, Inc., of Avandale, AZ, a provider of welders and torches
and a supplier of a variety of gases, announced
they have recently joined with Yavapai Welding Supply, Inc. of Prescott Valley, AZ. The
new company will operate under the name
Vern Lewis Welding Supply, Inc. but the former owner of Yavapai Welding Supply, Inc.,
Joseph A. Almand, will stay with the company
as the director of operations. The 37-year old
company services welding operations and
farms from Queen Creek and Carefree to Harquahala with a staff of approximately 37
employees in Avondale and Phoenix.
❑
Joseph A. Almand (left) and Vern Lewis (right).
Western Enterprises, of Westlake, OH, a
manufacturer of transmission and control
product solutions for compressed gas markets
— industrial, specialty gas and medicalannounced Mark J. Blakely has been promoted to Vice President of Marketing for
Western, a Scott Fetzer Company. Blakely’s
responsibilities will include Sales and Marketing for all Western Product Groups. Prior
to his promotion, Blakely had served as
February 2007 — CryoGas International
Industrial Products Group Director since
2002. Under his leadership the group realized
significant growth in all segments.
❑
Western President, Byron A. Crampton,
noted, “Mark has been key to much of our
recent success. His knowledge of Western’s
products, markets, and distribution will be critical in the identification, development and integration of future growth opportunities.”
❑
THE NHA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
San Antonio Texas
March 19-21
The National Hydrogen Association is
expecting over 100 exhibitors and more
than 1,500 attendees — not exhibitors —
as stated in our January 2007
NHA Show preview on page 34.
Please excuse our error.
13
INDUSTRY NEWS
HYDROGEN IN THE NEWS
AP OPENS PORT ARTHUR FACILITY
Air Products’ newest hydrogen production
facility in Port Arthur, TX is on-stream and
supplying Valero Energy Corp.’s Port Arthur
Refinery and additional customers on its Gulf
Coast hydrogen pipeline system. This plant is
the sixth North American hydrogen facility
brought on-stream in 2006 by Air Products
and the fourth in the US. These hydrogen
facilities assist in the production of cleaner
transportation fuels.
“We are very pleased to have commissioned our second facility at Port Arthur and
to provide Valero and our Gulf Coast hydrogen pipeline customers high-purity hydrogen.
It has been a very busy and successful year in
terms of bringing new plants on-stream in
both the U.S. and Canada,” said Jeffry L.
Byrne, Air Products’Vice President and General Manager for Tonnage Gases. Air Products’ other hydrogen facility at Port Arthur
has been operating since 2001.
In addition to Port Arthur in 2006, Air
Products brought on-stream hydrogen production facilities at Baytown, TX; Convent, LA;
and Joliet, IL. Air Products also placed onstream the largest outsourced hydrogen production facilities in Canada near
Edmonton, Alberta and in Sarnia, Ontario. In 2006 Air Products has increased hydrogen
production capacity by over 450
million standard cubic feet per
day (MMSCFD). The company
also announced plans for a second Edmonton, Alberta facility
to be on-stream in 2008 and be
the first commercial plant in
Canada to provide the sale of
hydrogen for use in the upgrading of Canadian oil sands.
The Port Arthur hydrogen
facility is part of Air Products’
Gulf Coast pipeline network,
which extends from the Houston
Ship Channel in TX to Lake
Charles, LA, and from Baton
Rouge to Norco, LA, and east of New Orleans.
This pipeline network provides a highly reliable hydrogen supply to approximately 50
refinery and process industry customers. “We
have increased our Gulf Coast pipeline system
capacity to over 900 MMSCFD of hydrogen
with recently completed projects, and we will
continue to increase the size of our Gulf Coast
14
hydrogen system in a manner that is consistent with the needs of our key refining and
❑
petrochemical customers,” said Byrne.
FIBA DOUBLES HP TUBE
CAPACITY FOR H2
FIBA Technologies, Inc. of Millbury, MA
manufactures seamless, steel, ASME-coded
pressure vessels that are the highest pressure
and largest capacity of their kind. In the past,
length and forging limitations were the limiting factors in determining the storage capacity of these high-pressure vessels. FIBA
produces these vessels in its new, state-of-theart, pressure vessel manufacturing facility
that utilizes specially designed equipment to
manufacture a higher capacity vessel.
At an operating pressure of more than
8,000-psi, these tubes are geared for the
growing hydrogen fueling station market, as
well as industrial gas storage applications
where high-pressure and fast-filling are
desired. The introduction of this product is
an intermediate step toward FIBA’s development of an ultra-high, pressure vessel, which
will provide the optimum pressures that will
ultimately be required by the hydrogen refueling industry.
❑
FIBA, High-Pressure, ASME Receiver
FUELCELL ENERGY SIGNS
AGREEMENT WITH LINDE
FuelCell Energy, Inc., a manufacturer of
ultra-clean and efficient electric power generation plants for commercial and industrial
customers, announced formation of a marketing and distribution agreement with The
Linde Group. Under terms of the agreement,
Linde gains the non-exclusive right to sell
and market Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) power
plants worldwide except where FuelCell
Energy already has granted exclusive distribution agreements. Linde will focus initially
on DFC opportunities in North America that
fit into its overall strategy of developing sustainable energy solutions and providing lowcarbon distributed generation solutions to
industrial, commercial and governmental
customers, with longer term plans to leverage
this relationship into other geographies where
Linde has market leadership.
In the US, Linde expects to market fuel
cell power plants that operate on biogas,
which qualify as renewable energy sources.
DFC units can run on any hydrocarbon fuel
source, including renewables like ethanol,
anaerobic digester gas (generated in wastewater treatment) and other biofuels, as well as
propane and methane. A third of FuelCell
Energy’s currently installed or backlog units
rely on biofuels or renewables like anaerobic
digester gas.
“Linde is committed to renewable
energy,” said Bruce Ludemann, FuelCell
Energy’s Senior Vice President of Sales and
Marketing. “By partnering with them we
greatly extend our reach on a global scale,
into new markets where we
haven’t previously had distribution channels. With Linde’s vast
experience in gas processing,
we can work together toward
opening many new markets
using renewable fuels.”
John Carolin, Deputy Head
of Innovation Management for
The Linde Group, added, “Creating new options for renewable
fuels and fuel cell power generation, with a leader in fuel cell
manufacturing like FuelCell
Energy, allows Linde to match
our competencies in gas processing and handling with our
desire to make a significant contribution to the sustainable
energy arena. As a leading
player in the development of the hydrogen
economy, we see developments in these areas
as extremely complementary to our overall
strategy in the area of sustainable energy
solutions.”
FuelCell Energy maintains an existing
relationship with Cryostar, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Linde, which focuses on
February 2007 — CryoGas International
INDUSTRY NEWS
pumps, turbines and cryogenic equipment for
industrial gases, natural gas, liquefied natural
gas and other hydrocarbon fuel sources.
Cryostar currently supplies expander turbines
for FuelCell Energy’s DFC-ERG product,
targeted for megawatt-class natural gas
pipeline applications. Expansion of the business relationship to Linde affirms the three
companies’ commitment to clean energy generation and affirms the success of their partnership on several projects to date. (For more
on fuel cells, see “Fuel Cells: Are We There
Yet” on page 38 of this issue.)
❑
HYDROGEN ON THE HILL
The Canadian Government has announced
that Air Liquide Canada will be an active
participant in the innovative “Hydrogen on
the Hill” project.
Industry Canada, Ford Canada, ATFCAN
and other Canadian government, non-government and industry partners have introduced
three hydrogen-powered shuttle buses, which
will operate on Parliament Hill as part of the
Senate of Canada’s shuttle fleet. This unique
pilot project will test hydrogen-powered vehicles in real-life conditions.
This is the first time in Canada that Ford
buses equipped with hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2ICEs) will operate in
everyday service. In addition to providing
expert advice and support, Air Liquide will
supply the hydrogen fuel and a hydrogen
refuelling station for the buses. Natural
Resources Canada’s Canadian Transportation
Fuel Cell Alliance is co-funding the H2
fuelling station, which will be located at
NRCan’s Booth Street Complex.
Air Liquide Canada’s President and COO,
Luc Doyon, said, “We are extremely proud
to contribute to this important and innovative
environmental demonstration project. Air
Liquide has a global vision of hydrogen as a
principal energy carrier. Our involvement is
consistent with our commitment to sustainable development and represents a major
step in our strategy to be an active partner in
Canada’s hydrogen energy supply.”
Dave LeBlanc, Air Liquide Canada’s Vice
President of Process Industries, adds, “Air
Liquide is committed to the establishment of
the Canadian hydrogen energy infrastructure.
We are working closely with our partners in
the private and public sectors to move hydrogen energy technologies from the drawing
board to the real world.”
❑
CHEVRON GETS H2GEN
INNOVATIONS’ DELIVERY
H2Gen Innovations, Inc. delivered its factorytested HGM 2000 hydrogen generation system to Chevron Hydrogen Company, for use
in Chevron’s hydrogen energy station being
constructed near the Orlando, Florida airport.
H2Gen Innovations of Alexandria, Virginia is a
privately held company that designs, manufactures and markets low-cost on-site hydrogen
generators and gas purification plants.
The Orlando fueling station is expected to
be operational by early 2007 and will support
hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine
powered buses that will be used at the airport.
The H2Gen generator is capable of reforming
natural gas to produce 115 kg of hydrogen
per day, enough to power at least eight of
these buses.
The HGM 2000 hydrogen generator
passed a rigorous 30-day in-factory test during
which it was available 99.75% of the time
while producing 99.999% pure hydrogen. The
unit has also received CSA certification, a
requirement for incorporation into Chevron’s
hydrogen energy station.
“This is an important milestone for us,”
said Barney Rush, CEO of H2Gen. “Our units
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February 2007 — CryoGas International
AAR
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15
INDUSTRY NEWS
are providing high quality hydrogen on a reliable basis to a number of customers in the
industrial gas market, end-use customers
and energy companies. We are eager to
demonstrate the value of our products in the
refueling market. The compact size of the
HGM unit, the ease of installation and fully
automatic operation enhance its appeal to
serve transportation market requirements.
The HGM unit converts natural gas and
water to hydrogen at the site of use, and
thereby avoids the expensive process of
trucking hydrogen to an industrial site or
fueling station.”
❑
HY9 OPENS NEW FACILITY
Hy9 Corporation, a Hopkinton, MA, manufacturer of metal membrane hydrogen
purifiers for the industrial, specialty gas and
energy markets, has opened a new manufacturing facility as a direct response to market
demand for the Company’s hydrogen purifier and reformer products. Hy9 manufactures globally-deployed, high-productivity,
low-cost membranes and products with
leak-tight seals that extract pure hydrogen
from gas mixtures much like a filter. Hy9’s
patent-pending process intensification com-
bines a membrane and catalyst in a one-step
reforming process which provides high
purity hydrogen. This news follows Hy9’s
previous announcement that Hy9’s purifiers
allow for 10-times less palladium when
compared to conventionally used palladium/silver tubular purifiers, making Hy9’s
purifiers far less expensive than conventional purifier products. As a result, Hy9’s
products can now be deployed in existing
and new applications for the industrial gas,
semiconductor, chemicals, metal processing
and fuel cell markets.
“We continue to pursue a focused strategy of developing and producing compelling economic as well as technical
hydrogen solutions to meet the needs of our
clients in the industrial, specialty gas and
energy markets that demand difficult or
advanced applications,” said Jeffrey Altman,
CEO, Hy9 Corporation. “As a result, Hy9
Corporation has manufactured and sold over
600 high purity hydrogen purifiers with millions of cumulative hours of global field use.
We also expect our new manufacturing facility will enable Hy9 to better serve our global
customer base,” Altman added.
Palladium membranes are recognized as
the only solution for high purity hydrogen
purification, as palladium alloys allow hydrogen atoms to permeate through the membrane
while blocking all other contaminants. Palladium is a precious metal that is a member of
the platinum group. Hy9 has addressed the
cost problem with the Company’s patented
membrane thinning process that provides the
benefit of using thinner palladium foils
which, until now, have not been available on
the market. Hy9’s thin membranes create
higher hydrogen flux, enabling low-cost,
highly-scalable purifiers.
❑
PEOPLE’S CAR GETS
POWERED BY H2
HyPower Fuel Inc., of Wilmington, DE, has
announced that the company has equipped a
Volkswagen GTi with its H2 Reactor (H2R)
hydrogen system that can produce sufficient
hydrogen on board, on demand to power the
vehicle using only water. The H2 Reactor
uses the process of electrolysis to convert
water into a hydrogen/oxygen gas which is
then used to power its original internal combustion engine.
HyPower believes that its H2 Reactor’s
electrolysis process is the most efficient to
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February 2007 — CryoGas International
INDUSTRY NEWS
date with an unprecedented ratio of hydrogen
production to electrical input. Currently the
H2 Reactor requires 1 watt hour to produce 1
liter of hydrogen. This is approximately 2 to
2.5 times more efficient than the current performance of competing technologies.
“This is an extremely significant advance
in that a vehicle with a standard internal combustion engine can be powered with hydrogen produced onboard as needed. Other
hydrogen vehicles require special storage
tanks to supply the highly compressed gas to
the engine. This is not yet a practical application as there are simply very few available
refueling stations for these vehicles,” said
Doug Bender, President of HyPower.
“We have now successfully created a situation where a car could run on water and produce virtually no harmful emissions or
greenhouse gases. We will continue to beta
test the H2R system to strive for increased
efficiency,” Bender added.
Management is quick to point out that
these are preliminary laboratory results using
prototype H2R units and will require considerable improvements before any practical
transportation application can become a reality. The company plans to host a number of
live demonstrations in early 2007 with independent experts in attendance to monitor and
verify resulting data.
“This new technology, used in conjunction
with this vehicle is to us like the Kittyhawk
was to the Wright brothers. It didn’t fly very
far but it was a start and paved the way to
modern aviation as we know it today,”
exclaimed Doug Bender.
❑
PLUG POWER TEAMS
WITH VAILLANT
Plug Power Inc. of Latham, NY, and Vaillant
Group of Germany have been selected by the
European Commission to receive a grant for
the international development and demonstration of three high temperature combined heat
and power proton exchange membrane
(HT-PEM) fuel cell system prototypes.
“This grant helps Plug Power and its partners accelerate the application of fuel cell
systems as heat and power sources for commercial and residential structures,” said Dr.
Roger Saillant, Plug Power’s CEO. “Moreover, the project sets an exciting precedent
for the future of fuel cell development as a
response to the increasing global demand for
transformational clean energy products.”
The European Commission will provide
€2.5 million in funding for the project, which
is estimated to have a total value of more than
€11 million over a two-year period. In October, the US Department of Energy awarded
$3.6 million to support the international collaboration. This is the first cooperative program in fuel cell technology between the two
government entities.
“Vaillant Group and Plug Power have successfully developed and tested three generations of micro combined heat and power fuel
cells for more than six years. The project is a
consequent further step in our partnership and
offers a great potential to improve technology
based on HT-PEM,” said Dr. Michel Brosset,
Vaillant Group’s Managing Director. “We are
looking forward to this very interesting international collaboration.”
Plug Power’s operations in the Netherlands will be instrumental in coordinating the
transatlantic collaboration. In addition to Plug
Power and Vaillant Group, other companies
and organizations participating in the development project are PEMEAS, Domel Elektromotorji, the Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences, Gaia Group and the Imperial College of London.
❑
STYLES
•
•
•
•
INDOOR & OUTDOOR
2 GAS & 3 GAS
FOOD GRADE
SPECIAL MATERIALS
OF CONSTRUCTION
most models
have a built-in
gas analyzer
February 2007 — CryoGas International
AVAILABLE
FLOWRATES
•
•
•
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0-750 SCFH
0-2000 SCFH
0-5000 SCFH
LARGER FLOWRATES
COMMON MIXTURES
•
•
•
•
•
0-30%
0-10%
0-20%
0-10%
0-10%
CO2 in Ar
O2 in Ar
H2 in N2
He in N2
He in Ar
17
INDUSTRY NEWS
QUESTAIR TO SUPPLY
HYDRO-CHEM
QuestAir Technologies Inc. will supply one
of its H-3200 hydrogen purifiers to HydroChem, a leading global supplier of industrial hydrogen plants. Hydro-Chem is a
division of Linde BOC Process Plants LLC.
(See a profile of Hydro-Chem on page 28 of
CGI’s February 2006 Hydrogen Issue.)
Jonathan Wilkinson, President and CEO of
QuestAir said that the H-3200 pressure swing
adsorption (“PSA”) system will be included
in a hydrogen plant that Hydro-Chem is supplying to an industrial customer in Eastern
Europe.
“This is our first sale of a full-scope PSA
system to Hydro-Chem, and follows the manufacturing license agreement that we signed
with Hydro-Chem earlier in 2006 which covered our larger capacity H-3100 PSA systems,” said Wilkinson. “We are extremely
pleased to extend our commercial relationship with Hydro-Chem to include our smaller
capacity H-3200 systems.”
Dennis Norton, Hydro-Chem’s President
said “QuestAir’s H-3200 PSA hydrogen
purifier has established a market-leading
position in hydrogen purification market,
and we are very pleased with the performance and cost benefits that the H-3200 offers
to Hydro-Chem’s smaller-capacity hydrogen plants.”
QuestAir also announced that one of its H3200 hydrogen purifiers has been successfully installed at a hydrogen fueling station
operated by SunLine Transit Agency (“SunLine Transit” or “SunLine”) in Thousand
Palms, CA. QuestAir’s H-3200 is incorporated into a commercial on-site hydrogen
generator supplied by HyRadix Inc., a
Chicago-based company and a leading
provider of on-site hydrogen generation systems and supply solutions. HyRadix’s commercial Adéo™ hydrogen fuel generator
replaces a prototype Adéo™ system that has
operated at the SunLine Transit hydrogen station since 2004. The new hydrogen generator
provides hydrogen fuel for SunLine’s current
hydrogen-powered vehicles, as well as supporting SunLine’s plans for future expansion
of its hydrogen bus fleet.
❑
TECHNIP WINS CONTRACT IN
POLAND FOR HYDROGEN PLANT
Technip (Paris) has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction man-
agement (EPCM) lump sum contract by
PKN Orlen for a hydrogen plant, to be
located at its refinery in Plock, Poland. Headquartered in Paris, Technip ranks among the
top five corporations in the field of oil, gas
and petrochemical engineering, construction
and services.
Technip’s operations and engineering
center in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, will
execute the contract, which covers: licensing, design and supply of equipment and
materials, construction management and
supervision, start-up services and training.
The hydrogen plant, based on Technip’s
proprietary technology, will have a capacity of 5 tons/hour. The hydrogen will then
be used in the refinery to produce diesel oil
in compliance with the European norms.
The facility, which represents an overall
investment of approximately €50 million,
is scheduled to be operational in the first
quarter 2009. This will be the second
hydrogen production facility executed by
Technip for PKN Orlen. With the completion of over 220 hydrogen units, Technip
has been consistently recognized as the
market leader in this field.
❑
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February 2007 — CryoGas International