Air Products serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services.
Over 65 Years of Growth
Air Products was established in 1940 in Detroit, Michigan, on the strength of a simple but then revolutionary idea: the “on-site” concept of producing and selling industrial gases, primarily oxygen. At the time, most oxygen was sold as a highly compressed gas product in cylinders that weighed five times more than the gas itself. Air Products proposed building oxygen gas generating facilities adjacent to large-volume users, thereby reducing distribution costs. The concept of piping the gas directly from the generator to the point of use proved sound and technically solvable.
Air Products Today
- 21,000 employees around the world
- Operations in more than 40 countries
- Annual revenues of over $10 billion
- Ranked 258th in sales among Fortune magazine’s May 2008 list of the 500 largest U.S. corporations
Serving a Diversity of Markets
Merchant Gases
Through our Merchant Gases business, we supply oxygen, nitrogen, argon, helium and hydrogen as well as certain medical and specialty gases to a wide variety of industrial and medical customers. We deliver most gases via bulk supply, by tanker or tube trailer, in liquid or gaseous form. For customers requiring small volumes, we supply product in cylinders and dewars, or “packaged gases.” We also produce gases for some customers via small cryogenic or noncryogenic on-site generators through sale of gas contracts and some sale of equipment.
Tonnage Gases, Equipment and Energy
Tonnage Gases is our business supplying large quantities of hydrogen, synthesis gas, carbon monoxide, oxygen and nitrogen, mainly to petroleum refining, chemical and metallurgical customers under long-term contracts. We generally build a facility adjacent to or nearby our customer’s facility and deliver product through a pipeline. Our Equipment business provides liquefied natural gas (LNG) heat exchangers, air separation plants, hydrocarbon recovery and purification equipment, and helium distribution equipment to industry. Within Energy, we own and operate power generation and flue gas treatment facilities and are developing technologies to serve energy markets of the future, including gasification and alternative energy technologies.
Electronics and Performance Materials
Through our Electronics and Performance Materials business, we provide material solutions to a broad range of global industries, leveraging our expertise in chemical synthesis, analytical technology, process engineering and surface science. We supply specialty and tonnage gases, specialty and bulk chemicals, services and equipment to the electronics industry for manufacturing silicon and compound semiconductors, displays and photovoltaic devices. We also provide performance chemical solutions for the coatings, inks, adhesives, civil engineering, personal care, institutional and industrial cleaning, mining, oil field, polyurethane and other industries.
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