The earth shook in the global gases business last week, with the news that Air Liquide had agreed the $13.4bn acquisition of fellow Tier One company Airgas, Inc., signalling a potentially seismic shift in the structure of the industry.
Should it meet with the necessary regulatory and shareholder approvals, the deal will create comfortably the biggest industrial gas group in the world.
The combined company will be the leader in North America, complementing number one positions in Europe, Africa/Middle East and Asia-Pacific. It will also be number one in the Industrial Merchant and Large Industries sectors, and co-number one in Electronics, globally.
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