Air Liquide started to come to China at the beginning of the 20th century, and then came back to the Chinese market in the 1970s with the supply of air separation equipment. in the early 1990s, Air Liquide started to invest in a plant in China. During the past few years, the company's business has grown rapidly. Today Air Liquide has 2,000 employees in China, more than 30 physical companies and sales in 2007 amounted to 250 million euros. Air Liquide is present in most of China's industrial regions: Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning and Shandong in the north, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang in the east, and is expanding to Sichuan and Hubei in the west and Guangdong in the south.
Industrial and medical gases supply: Air Liquide produces a wide range of air products (Oxygen, Nitrogen, Argon, rare gases) and Hydrogen, thanks to innovative solutions developed with the help of constantly updated technologies. Air Liquide is growing rapidly in China, investing 1 billion RMB per year in 2004-2006 and will increase its investment every year in the future. Business lines:
1. Large industrial users
As a close partner of large metallurgical, chemical and steel companies, Air Liquide provides gases and energy solutions to large industrial companies around the world in order to improve their productivity and better protect the environment.
2. General industrial users
Air Liquide's industrial customers in China cover a wide range. We provide our customers with gases and services for a wide range of applications: pipeline gases, on-site gas production units, liquid gases and compressed gases.
3. Electronic gas customers
In the growing semiconductor and flat panel display sectors, Air Liquide closely supports its customers with leading-edge technology and value-added services: Ultra Pure Fluids; Fluid Management; Equipment & Installation.
4. Healthcare
A specialist in medical gases, hospital respiratory systems and home care, Air Liquide serves more than 300,000 home care patients and more than 10,000 hospitals around the world
Production facilities in the main regions of the country:
In North China (Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning): Air Liquide has production facilities in Tianjin, Beijing, Qingdao, Tangshan, Cangzhou and Rizhao. New air separation units are currently under construction in Tianjin and Dalian. The company in Shenyang operates hydrogen charging and transportation business.
In East China (Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang): Air Liquide operates air separation units in Wuxi, Zhangjiagang and Changshu. It operates a hydrogen plant in Changshu. Air Liquide's industrial gases joint venture in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Zone (SCIP) operates an air separation unit and steam methane cracker to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. A number of new projects are under construction within the region.
In central China: a gas plant is completed in Wuhan.
In South and West China: Representative offices were opened in Guangzhou and Chengdu.
Engineering services and equipment manufacturing:Air Liquide has been selling air separation equipment in the Chinese market for many years. Air Liquide Hangzhou Co., Ltd. was set up in Hangzhou in 1995, and now holds a major share of the domestic large air separation market.
Welding Equipment and Consumables (Air Liquide Welding)
Specialty Chemicals (Sabic)