Airgas
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Industrial gases, Medical gases, Specialty gases, Safety equipment |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Peter McCausland |
| Headquarters | Radnor Township, Pennsylvania , United States |
Area served | North America |
Key people | Peter McCausland (Chairman and CEO, founder) |
| Products | Industrial gases, Medical gases, Specialty gases, Welding tools and accessories, Safety equipment, Ammonia, Process chemicals |
Number of employees | 18,000 (2018) |
| Parent | Air Liquide |
Airgas, a subsidiary of Air Liquide, ranks among the foremost suppliers in the United States specializing in industrial, medical, and specialty gases available in cylinder or packaged formats. Additionally, the company offers hardgoods, safety equipment, ammonia, and various process chemicals. Its headquarters are located in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, with a network exceeding 1,400 facilities throughout North America.
Business Activities
Serving over one million clients, Airgas provides an extensive range of products such as:
- Industrial, medical, and specialty gases
- Welding tools and accessories
- Safety equipment
- Atmospheric gases
- Carbon dioxide and dry ice
- Nitrous oxide
- Ammonia alongside process chemicals
As of January 2018, Airgas employs roughly 18,000 individuals and caters to sectors including manufacturing, metal fabrication, non-residential construction (covering energy and infrastructure), energy and chemical industries (from upstream to downstream), life sciences and healthcare, food service and retail, materials and power industries, as well as government and aerospace markets.
Its comprehensive integrated system includes branch offices, cylinder filling plants, production sites, specialty gas laboratories, and regional distribution hubs. To optimize market penetration, Airgas utilizes diverse sales channels such as branch locations, field sales teams, a Strategic Accounts Team dedicated to major customers, distributors, telesales operations, catalog sales, and e-Business platforms.
History
Established in 1982 by chairman and CEO Peter McCausland, Airgas went public four years later in 1986. Through a combination of organic growth and more than 500 acquisitions, it developed the largest national distribution network within the packaged gas sector. A significant acquisition was Red-D-Arc Welderentals in 1995.
In September 2009, Airgas was added to the S&P 500 index as a replacement for Cooper Industries. Later that year, Air Products’ CEO John McGlade proposed a merger which was declined by McCausland. Subsequently in February 2010, Air Products initiated a public tender offer for Airgas and raised its bid multiple times during the year. However, after the Delaware Chancery Court upheld Airgas’s poison pill strategy to block the takeover, Air Products withdrew its bid in February 2011.
In November 2015, Airgas consented to a $13.4 billion acquisition by France-based Air Liquide following approval from its board and shareholders. This transaction occurred after Airgas successfully fended off a $5.9 billion hostile takeover attempt from Air Products. The deal finalized in May 2016 resulted in Airgas becoming a fully owned subsidiary of Air Liquide.
In 2019, Airgas further expanded its footprint by acquiring Tech Air, a leading independent distributor of industrial gases and welding products within the United States, thereby enhancing its business development and global presence.