Air Liquide buying Airgas

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Looks like Airgas is in gonna be the one bought now. I am wonder how this is going to change the marketplace even further. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articl...p-gas-supplier
Reply:cant get any worse.  air liquide has a gas production plant 10 miles from here but not a single store for 200.  A great friend of my fathers worked for air liquide in reno and they had damn decent product ranges and service.   hopefully they bring acutual welding supplys back to airgas.   All the branches around here want to sell is shovels and hi viz vests.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:I wonder if they will be having a sale on all their Radnor crap - I mean "stuff"?My "collection":Homemade Stick WelderVictor O/A TorchAC 225Ideal Arc 250HF 90 Amp Flux CoreHF Mig 170Solar 2020 Plasma CutterPower i-Mig 140EHarris O/A torchHF Dual Mig 131140STAlpha Tig 200x
Reply:Originally Posted by Dualiecant get any worse.
Reply:Air Liquide is big in bulk gas in the US (actually largest gas supplier in the world) but years ago they tried welding supplies in the US and failed miserably at it. Airgas is kind of the opposite. They're big in the US and had a Canadian division in Edmonton. It did OK for a while but then they tried to "Americanize" it and got rid of the management and put new people in and tried to run it like the US Airgas. It failed miserably and Praxair bought them out. Air Liquide makes so much on gas sales they don't really care that much about welding supplies. It's more of a convenience even though they do very well in welding supplies. The Canadian and US markets are entirely different and need to be operated as such. When I had my job interview at Air Liquide they actually said they are rarely the lowest price on quotes but they do have good technical back up and customer support. When I toured the $150,000,000 Scotford Co-Gen power generation and air separation plant that produces 7000-9000 tons of oxygen per day (mostly for Shell) and also supplies for their other customers, they said they make enough just off the argon to pay for the operation of the plant and everything else is pure profit! Argon is about 2% of the air!Last edited by Welder Dave; 11-18-2015 at 01:40 AM.
Reply:Gas is where the real money is. Welding accessory profit margins have been whored out so badly by the internet suppliers that it's a very small portion of a weld shops profit if they try to remain competitive.
Reply:I hate airgas. I hope the deal goes through. I hope they change everything. If I never saw another radnor branded piece of crap it would be too soon. I understand that real stores have to charge more than the internet guys, and that's ok. I'll happily pay 1.5x for the convenience. But they are charging 3x on the basics, like PPE and grinding discs. When I pay $20 for one f***ing grinding disc, and then they throw on a $4 HAZ MAT charge, I want to burn the store down.Ian TannerKawasaki KX450 and many other fine tools
Reply:Originally Posted by motochrisGas is where the real money is. Welding accessory profit margins have been whored out so badly by the internet suppliers that it's a very small portion of a weld shops profit if they try to remain competitive.
Reply:Got a letter today from Airgas telling us they are being folded into the Air Liquide family creating the world's largest welding supplies distributer. Air Liquide was a decent company for the brief time I was buying gas from them. But for some reason they pulled out of the market here leaving me at the mercy of Airgas.Weld like a "WELDOR", not a wel-"DERR" MillerDynasty700DX,Dynasty350DX4ea,Dynasty200DX,Li  ncolnSW200-2ea.,MillerMatic350P,MillerMatic200w/spoolgun,MKCobraMig260,Lincoln SP-170T,PlasmaCam/Hypertherm1250,HFProTig2ea,MigMax1ea.
Reply:What promote's competive prices,promote's quility and keep's sellers honest?  What is the largest organization in the USA (hint,their main office is in DC)?  What is the most ineffecient organizitation in the USA (hint,their headquarters are also in DC)?  Will all these buy outs and subsequently fewer but larger companies increase or reduce competetion? (All retorical questions of course). Every lws around Dallas that has been bought out by national concurns ( mainly Praxair and Airgas),change for the worse overnight. The eventual result for consumers will imo will be same as what happened to home delivered propane.
Reply:Not sure what to think about this, as I've only recently been able to deal with the local Airgas.  For years, they wouldn't touch a non-Airgas branded tank, but have now started swapping out just about any tank...hope this doesn't change.
Reply:Originally Posted by JaxWhat promote's competive prices,promote's quility and keep's sellers honest?  What is the largest organization in the USA (hint,their main office is in DC)?  What is the most ineffecient organizitation in the USA (hint,their headquarters are also in DC)?  Will all these buy outs and subsequently fewer but larger companies increase or reduce competetion? (All retorical questions of course). Every lws around Dallas that has been bought out by national concurns ( mainly Praxair and Airgas),change for the worse overnight. The eventual result for consumers will imo will be same as what happened to home delivered propane.
Reply:Air Liquide could still screw it up. They did the past. They try to command a premium price but that can backfire in a hurry. Some of the problems with pricing are because products come from their main warehouse who had already marked it up before the branch gets it. Right off the bat you're at a disadvantage because the cost is higher than getting it directly from the manufacturer. When I worked for them we could get Lincoln 305G's cheaper from another LWS that was affiliated with Air Liquide (but ran as an independent) than getting them directly from Air Liquide. It made no sense when you're quoting machines and your cost is 3-4% higher from the get go. They're going to have to ramp up production of their 7018 so you guys down south can try it out. It's the most popular rod in Canada.
Reply:Dear Valued Customer, I am pleased to inform you that Airgas recently announced that we have entered into an agreement with Air Liquide, under which Air Liquide will acquire Airgas. The transaction is subject to Airgas' shareholder approval, receipt of necessary antitrust and other regulatory approvals and other customary conditions and provisions. Please see our press release and additional details at www.airgas.com.Air Liquide is a world leader in gases, technologies and services. Air Liquide is present in 80 countries, has more than 50,000 employees and serves more than two million customers and patients. Together, the two businesses will become the largest industrial gas company in the world.We here at Airgas are thrilled to join forces with Air Liquide to provide you with enhanced service and offerings. We truly believe that our customers will find added value in Air Liquide's unrivaled global footprint and strength in engineering, technology and innovation, while still being able to rely on the Airgas commitment to service, safety, timely delivery, and supply reliability that has made us your supplier of choice. There are many steps to complete for closing, so there will be no immediate change to the way we operate, and we do not expect significant change in our service model after the transaction is completed. Our ultimate goal is to ensure a seamless, positive transition for you. If you have any questions, please contact your local Airgas sales associate or region president. You may also visit www.airgas.com where we will post materials and updates on an ongoing basis. Thank you for the opportunity to serve your needs. Together, Air Liquide and Airgas look forward to continuing to work with you in the future. Sincerely,Updates make it easier to find it with Airgas.comMike MolininiPresident & CEO, Airgas Inc.