Air Liquide signed a record 52 new contracts for the on-site production of gases for its Industrial Merchant business line in 2022

Air Liquide signed 52 new long-term on-site contracts for its Industrial Merchant business line in 2022, after a record number of 48 new contracts in 2021 and continuous progress for more than five years. On-site production solutions represent a competitive and environmentally friendly solution for customers requiring a local and reliable gas supply. They contribute to the resilience of the Industrial Merchant business line and more generally to the objectives of the Group’s strategic plan ADVANCE, which inseparably links financial and extra-financial performance.

The 52 new contracts signed in 2022 will serve our customers in nitrogen, oxygen or hydrogen especially in the glass, metals, water and waste treatment as well as secondary electronics growing markets. In 2022, the Group also launched a new generation of on-site oxygen production units, whose breakthrough technology is 10% more energy-efficient than the previous generation. The number of long-term on-site based contracts signed each year by Air Liquide has doubled between 2015 and 2022. 

Based on proprietary technologies and engineered by the Group, these on-site gas production units are installed, operated and maintained directly at customer sites. This means that gases are not liquefied for transport and the number of trucks and kilometers driven to deliver to customers are reduced, which in turn saves energy and reduces CO2 emissions. Signed for typical durations of 10 to 15 years, on-site contracts contribute to the stability of the Industrial Merchant sales over the long-term.

Matthieu Giard, Vice President and Executive Committee Member of the Air Liquide Group, supervising the Industrial Merchant business line, said:

On-site gas production solutions ensure our customers a local and reliable supply of small essential molecules such as nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen. They are increasingly successful, especially for markets facing the world challenges of energy transition and digitalization. Air Liquide is constantly innovating to make them ever more competitive, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. They contribute to the implementation of the Group’s ADVANCE strategy, which inseparably links financial performance and sustainable development.