Airgas
Encyclopedia
Airgas, Inc. headquartered in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania
, through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial
, medical and specialty gases (delivered in packaged or cylinder
form), and hardgoods (welding, safety and related products).
and dry ice
, and the largest supplier of liquid carbon dioxide
in the Southeastern United States. The company is also a distributor of process chemicals, refrigerant
s and ammonia
products.
Most of its 11,000 employees work in 11 regional companies to serve a diversified customer base. Its integrated network of about 1,100 locations includes branches, cylinder fill plants, production facilities, specialty gas laboratories, and regional distribution centers. Airgas markets through multiple channels, including its own branches and outside sales force, a Strategic Accounts Team focused on large customers, distributors and resellers, telesales, catalog and eBusiness channels.
On the 8th of September 2009 Airgas replaced Cooper Industries
in the S&P500 index.
In October 2009, John McGlad, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Products, a competing concern, privately asked McCausland whether he'd be interested in merging the two companies. McCausland rejected the idea.
In February 2010, Air Products initiated a public tender offer for Airgas. The offer was extended, and the price increased, throughout the subsequent year.
Air Products abandoned the effort on February 15, 2011, after a decision by the Delaware
Chancery Court
that upheld Airgas's extensive use of a "poison pill
" defense.
Radnor Township, Pennsylvania
Radnor Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 30,878. Radnor Township lies along the Main Line, a collection of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs....
, through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial
Industrial gas
Industrial gas is a group of gases that are commercially manufactured and sold for uses in other applications. These gases are mainly used in an industrial processes, such as steelmaking, oil refining, medical applications, fertilizer, semiconductors, etc.,...
, medical and specialty gases (delivered in packaged or cylinder
Gas cylinder
A gas cylinder is a pressure vessel used to store gases at above atmospheric pressure. High pressure gas cylinders are also called bottles. Although they are sometimes colloquially called "tanks", this is technically incorrect, as a tank is a vessel used to store liquids at ambient pressure and...
form), and hardgoods (welding, safety and related products).
Business Activities
Airgas is also the third-largest U.S. distributor of safety products, the largest U.S. producer of nitrous oxideNitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
and dry ice
Dry ice
Dry ice, sometimes referred to as "Cardice" or as "card ice" , is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is used primarily as a cooling agent. Its advantages include lower temperature than that of water ice and not leaving any residue...
, and the largest supplier of liquid carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
in the Southeastern United States. The company is also a distributor of process chemicals, refrigerant
Refrigerant
A refrigerant is a substance used in a heat cycle usually including, for enhanced efficiency, a reversible phase change from a liquid to a gas. Traditionally, fluorocarbons, especially chlorofluorocarbons, were used as refrigerants, but they are being phased out because of their ozone depletion...
s and ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
products.
Most of its 11,000 employees work in 11 regional companies to serve a diversified customer base. Its integrated network of about 1,100 locations includes branches, cylinder fill plants, production facilities, specialty gas laboratories, and regional distribution centers. Airgas markets through multiple channels, including its own branches and outside sales force, a Strategic Accounts Team focused on large customers, distributors and resellers, telesales, catalog and eBusiness channels.
History
Airgas Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Peter McCausland founded the company in 1982. Through more than 320 acquisitions and internal growth, Airgas built the largest national distribution network in the packaged gas industry.On the 8th of September 2009 Airgas replaced Cooper Industries
Cooper Industries
Cooper Industries is a former US-based company that in 2009 switched its incorporation office from Bermuda to Ireland, maintaining its chief operational offices in Houston, Texas. It produces transformers, tools and electrical equipment, employing 29,000 staff around the world. Revenue in 2007 was...
in the S&P500 index.
In October 2009, John McGlad, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Products, a competing concern, privately asked McCausland whether he'd be interested in merging the two companies. McCausland rejected the idea.
In February 2010, Air Products initiated a public tender offer for Airgas. The offer was extended, and the price increased, throughout the subsequent year.
Air Products abandoned the effort on February 15, 2011, after a decision by the Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
Chancery Court
Chancery Court
The Chancery Court of York is an ecclesiastical court for the Province of York of the Church of England.The presiding officer, the Official Principal and Auditor, has been the same person as the Dean of the Arches since the nineteenth century . The Court comprises the Auditor, two clergy and two...
that upheld Airgas's extensive use of a "poison pill
Poison pill
A shareholder rights plan, colloquially known as a "poison pill", or simply "the pill" is a type of defensive tactic used by a corporation's board of directors against a takeover...
" defense.