Welding: new investments

Air Liquide Welding invests to sustain growth in the energy markets.

Based on positive perspectives for the future development of welding technology in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the Air Liquide Welding Group has decided to further invest in the Cittadella (Italy, Province of Padua) and Eisenberg (Germany, Palatinate) production sites.

Welding technology today is strongly driven by the energy markets that use a great number of welded metallic structures: oil rigs and platforms in offshore and onshore activities, pipelines for oil and gas transportation, reactors and columns in oil, hydro or wind turbines… These structures are submitted to very demanding conditions (marine corrosion, climatic hazards, high pressure and temperature…) and the construction of all these structures requires high quality welding gas and consumables.

Since mid 2007 the capacity of the flux cored wire facility in Cittadella has been increased by +20%. In Eisenberg, beginning January 2008, the production capacity of the submerged arc flux plant will be increased by +65%; the total amount of these investments is around €5 million.

Jean-Claude Buono, Senior Executive Vice-President of the Air Liquide Group and Chairman of Air Liquide Welding, stated: "These investments will allow us to better serve our customers especially in the fast growing and highly demanding energy markets. With these increases in capacity we are confident that Air Liquide Welding will continue to significantly improve its results".