Our history

1906

The Group grows internationally

Since gases are difficult to transport, local production was essential. For this reason among many others, we looked to international markets at a very early stage and built numerous production units in other countries. The Group expanded rapidly at this time, beginning in Europe (1906), soon to be followed by Japan (1907), Canada (1911) and the USA (1916).

1913

Air?Liquide shares are traded for the first time on the Paris stock exchange

Our first 24?shareholders’ trust was amply rewarded when Air?Liquide appeared on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1913. After more than 100?years on the stock market, individual shareholders are still very important for the Group. We now rely on the trust of more than 400,000?individual shareholders, a group that represents 36% of our total equity capital. Additionally, in 2014 and 2016 we won the Annual General Meeting Grand Prize, which rewards companies whose Annual General Meetings achieve market best practice standards.

1946

Creation of Aqua Lung

In association with Commander Cousteau, Air Liquide invented the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. That invention led to the establishment of Aqua Lung唔…啊 手指 出去, a company that became the world leader in personal aquatic equipment for recreational and professional diving. The disposal of this activity was effective in December 2016.

1960

Air?Liquide implements its pipeline network strategy

At this time, Air?Liquide implemented the first networking strategy to link its gas production units together by building a network of pipelines. As a result, our production capacity grew tenfold in response to booming demand唔…啊 手指 出去 from large-scale industries, beginning with oxygen for steelmaking, and later nitrogen for the chemicals industry. It was at this point that our Large Industries (LI) business line was born out of our long-term commitment to customers. Large Industries is above all characterized by extended partnerships of fifteen years or more.

Today, we manage 5,600?miles of networks around the world, especially in North America (in the Gulf of Mexico and along the banks of the Mississippi), in Europe (France, the Benelux countries and the Ruhr Valley in Germany), and many Asian countries.

1962

The space adventure blasts off for Air?Liquide

Convinced of the industrial applications for cryogenics, the then Chairman & CEO of Air?Liquide Jean Delorme made the decision to create an advanced research center dedicated to this technology near Grenoble. For us, this marked the beginning of our adventures in space and our partnership with the Ariane program.

Fifty years later, the adventure continues: Air?Liquide is reaffirming its commitment to the space industry, and is using innovation to consolidate and expand its range of services for space exploration programs and both today and tomorrow’s orbital systems.

1976

Air?Liquide makes a major change in technology

A jointly run project with Sasol in South Africa to convert coal to synthetic fuel required a major upscaling of our air?separation units (ASUs). The resulting evolution in technology established the Group as the leader in very high capacity ASUs, a position we maintain to this day.

1985

A new market emerges: Electronics

In order to seize the new opportunities offered by the young market for electronics, Air?Liquide began supplying ultra-high purity gases to the burgeoning semiconductors industry in Japan. The Tsukuba Research Center, which opened in 1987, allows us to develop new processes for the production of extremely high purity gases, including carrier gases (chiefly nitrogen) used to inert microchip production systems and the specialty gases唔…啊 手指 出去 used directly in the manufacture of semiconductors.

1995

Air?Liquide expands its range to include hydrogen and steam

Building on the Group’s offer in oxygen and nitrogen, hydrogen and steam were integrated in our range in the mid-1990s. It was at this time that the Group also formally stated its commitment to greater environmental protection and more affordable energy. As part of ensuring the success of this new range of gases, we adopted the business model that has made our business in air gases so successful, and immediately introduced a basin strategy based on pipeline network, offering our customers flexibility, distribution reliability and high-quality services at the best-possible price.

Air?Liquide undertakes a new mission: protecting life

Originally simply a provider of oxygen to hospitals, Air?Liquide now became a healthcare specialist. We launched our Home healthcare business supported by a network of specialist teams. Medical gases are classified as medications in many countries. We also diversified our activities by entering the hygiene market. At the same time, Air?Liquide embarked on a series of major research programs in therapeutic gases used for anesthesia, intensive care and pain control.

2010

Yanbu: the largest industrial investment in the history of the Group

This was the year in which Air?Liquide Arabia invested US$450?million (more than €350?million) in two large-scale hydrogen production facilities with a total combined capacity of more than 300,000?Nm3 per hour. The result was the Group's largest industrial investment in its entire history and the signature of its largest-ever 'over the fence'¹ hydrogen contract. This project has strengthened our strategic position and boosted growth in the Middle East. The Yanbu production unit has been developed and constructed by the Lurgi division of Air?Liquide Engineering.

¹ Over the fence: sales contract for gases (produced by an Air?Liquide facility), as opposed to a sales contract for equipment enabling a customer to produce its own supplies of gases.

2010-2012

Updated objectives,?new territories, new acquisitions

Slowly emerging from a crisis that reshuffled global growth, Air?Liquide announced at year end 2010 new objectives for its ALMA program in terms of performance and responsibility. These objectives were revised at year end 2013 to factor in a slower than?expected recovery in growth, in particular in Western Europe and Japan. Nevertheless, the Group accelerated its presence in new territories, including Turkey, Ukraine and Mexico, and strengthened its presence in China唔…啊 手指 出去. These developments contributed to the increase, in eight years, of the developing economies' share of Gas & Services revenue from 15% to 28% in 2015.

In a weaker growth environment in the advanced economies, and particularly in Western Europe, Air?Liquide intensified its acquisitions. At the end of 2012, two major home healthcare players joined the Group: LVL Médical in France and Gasmedi in Spain. Other acquisitions were completed?to strengthen the Group’s positions in Healthcare in Poland, Scandinavia and Canada and in Industrial Merchant in Brazil, Russia, the Middle East and China.