About L'Air Liquide

L'Air Liquide S.A. provides gases, technologies, and services for industrial and health sectors in Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. Segments The company operates through Gas & Services, Engineering & Construction, Global Markets & Technologies segments. Gas & Services segment This segment includes four world business lines to support changes and meet the needs of the various markets, such as large industries, industrial merchant, healthcare, and electronics. Large industries supplies industrial gases by operating major production units. It serves customers in the metals, chemicals, refining and energy sectors where high gas volumes call for a dedicated plant or the development of a pipeline network. Large industries also supplies the company’s other business lines with gases, which are then packaged and delivered to their respective customers. The large industries business line supplies gas and energy solutions to customers in the metals, chemicals, refining and energy industries, which are essential for their own core businesses. The large industries business line provides oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen and carbon monoxide through its plants and its pipeline network. The company also operates cogeneration plants to supply customers with steam and electricity. Industrial merchant supplies a range of different gases, application equipment and associated services. It serves industries and professionals that require smaller quantities than large industries customers. Gas could be distributed in bulk, in liquid form, or in cylinders, in gaseous form, for smaller quantities. Finally, small production units could be installed locally for customers with larger gas needs, or in remote areas. Healthcare supplies medical gases, hygiene products, equipment and services to hospitals and also directly to patients in their homes. It also produces and distributes healthcare specialty ingredients for the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and vaccine markets. The business line provides products and services in four areas: Medical Gases: The company provides medical gases to 15,000 hospitals and clinics. Among the main medical gases and their areas of application, it provides medical oxygen for respiratory diseases and intensive care units; medical nitrous oxide, a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide O2/N2O (KALINOX) and xenon (LENOXe) for anesthesia/analgesia; and nitrogen monoxide (KINOX and VasoKINOX) for resuscitation. The company ensures compliance with the safety and quality standards through the installation and maintenance of medical gases’ distribution networks in hospitals and permanent inventory control. The company’s medical gases and services are provided to certain specialists in the community or to new care facilities outside of the hospital. Home Healthcare: The company cares for approximately 1.7 million patients in their homes suffering from chronic diseases. The company has developed an offering beyond oxygen therapy and helps take care of patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic respiratory insufficiency, diabetes, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and Parkinson’s disease, providing them with services for long-term follow-up care. Hygiene: With its subsidiary Schülke, which focuses on hospital disinfection, the company contributes to the fight against infections and pandemics through a range of products used in hospitals and private practice (dentists, family practitioners, etc.) or sold in pharmacies. Schülke also develops anti-bacterial products, mainly for the cosmetics industry but also for the general public. Healthcare Specialty Ingredients: The company, through its subsidiary Seppic, has designed and developed specialty ingredients for the healthcare sector, in particular adjuvants for vaccines, film-coating systems for the pharmaceutical industry, as well as a range of thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers and active ingredients for the cosmetics market Electronics supplies gases, materials (complex molecules) used in manufacturing processes, and services mainly used for the production of semi-conductors, but also for flat panels and photovoltaic panels. Products and services supplied include: Carrier Gases: Carrier gases (primarily ultra-pure nitrogen) supplied by on-site facilities, are intended for the transport of molecules for chip manufacturing and to inert production installations. Electronic Materials: Electronic specialty materials are used in semi-conductor, flat panel and photovoltaic cell manufacturing. Advanced Materials are key to the processes used in the manufacturing of advanced chips. The company develops and markets offerings with added value, including the ALOHA and Voltaix offerings. Equipment & Installation: The electronics business line also supplies equipment for the distribution of gas and chemical products and installs them at its customers’ facilities. Services: Customers rely on the company’s expertise for the daily management of gases and chemical products on their sites, as well as to provide analytical services to improve their production processes. Engineering & Construction segment To provide customers with the gases required for their industrial production, the company’s engineers have developed proprietary technologies. The company designs and constructs gas production units, from the feasibility study stage through to the delivery of the complete installation, for its own use or for sale to customers who prefer to insource their gas requirements. The majority of this segment is geared toward industrial gas production technologies, and in particular the manufacture of air gas or hydrogen and carbon monoxide production units. This segment also serves third-party customers. The company designs and builds customized units, which customers would own and operate. Global Markets & Technologies This segment delivers technological solutions (molecules, equipment and services) to support the rising markets of energy transition, mainly in transport, energy and waste valorization, as well as those related to deep tech in areas, such as space exploration, aerospace and big science. This segment invests in biomethane production units and develops multi-energy stations to distribute bio Natural Gas Vehicle, nitrogen for refrigerated transport and hydrogen to support clean mobility and primarily the roll-out of hydrogen energy. The WBU also operates biogas digesters, which inject biomethane into the domestic grid, as well as multi-modal and gas, equipment and services for the maritime industry. In hydrogen, the company masters the supply chain, from production to storage, and from distribution to the development of applications for end users, thus contributing to the use of hydrogen as a clean energy source, notably for mobility. History L'Air Liquide S.A. was founded in 1902.