They say that ‘a week in politics is a long time!” Well, the relative rate of change in the gas cylinder business is, at times, following a similar comparison.
In this context, 2017 is going to be a very exciting year. Already it has begun with the ‘surprising’ announcement of an amalgamation between two giants on either side of the ‘pond’ in the gases industry; The Linde Group (Europe) and Praxair (US). The proposed $65bn (€60bn) deal, which would see the two groups overtake Air Liquide as the world’s largest industrial gas company, still requires regulatory approval.
With Linde’s expertise in the latter field, following its takeover of the BOC Group in 2006, this deal should be a strong favourite to progress. The merger comes hot on the heels of the $13bn acquisition of Airgas by Air Liquide in May last year, to create what is currently the biggest industrial-gas supplier.
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