F. Court: Air Liquide marks an increase of revenues of 23% in 2009 up to BGN 27.5 million

Mr. Court, what are the main activities of Air Liquide?
Air Liquide is a French company founded in 1902. It is specialized in the production and distribution of industrial gases and related services for various industries, healthcare and the environment. Present in 75 countries, with over 42 300 employees, Air Liquide supplies more than 1 million customers in extremely diverse industries such as the steel, food and beverage, electronics, pharmaceuticals, hospitals or cosmetics.
Innovation is at the core of the Group’s strategy: by combining its molecules (oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, rare gases…) and innovative applications, Air Liquide provides its customers with true added value by improving the efficiency of their processes, making their technologies progress and enabling them to open new outlooks in their core businesses.
In 2009, the revenues of Air Liquide were € 12 billion and the Group’s net profit was €1.2 billion, while €218 million were dedicated to research, innovation and technologies. The company has 8 research and development centers and 5 engineering facilities worldwide with 250 innovation patents registered annually. The three major axes of Research and Development complement the expectations of contemporary society: "for a healthier life", "in a communicating world", "for a sustainable environment"

When did Air Liquide step on the Bulgarian market and what are the main services you are offering in Bulgaria?

Air Liquide is present in Bulgaria since 1999, and is providing the main industrial gases to a wide variety of customers, from the very large to small craftsmen. Most of the gases we sell in Bulgaria are produced locally and are distributed to our customers by pipe, cryogenic trailer or cylinders. In addition of producing and selling gases, Air Liquide Bulgaria offers turn key solutions (cryogenic installations, equipments, gas cabinets etc.) as well as services in order to support our customers improve their processes. Air Liquide has two large production facilities in Bulgaria, with a total capacity of more than 1100 tons per day of gaseous oxygen.

Air Liquide’s sales in 2008 were increased with 18% to 22.3 million leva – what are the preliminary finance results for 2009?
2009 was another year of growth for Air Liquide Bulgaria with BGN 27.5 million of revenues, representing an increase of 23% compared to 2008.

How are your 25 million Euro investments allocated in Pirdop, Pernik and Gabrovo?
The main portion of our investments in Bulgaria has been dedicated to our two Air Separation installations in Pirdop and Pernik.

Why do companies like Stomana Industry and Aurubis rely on external producer of oxygen instead of developing their own capacity?

Customers like Aurubis and Stomana rely on external producers for the supply of industrial gases because Air Separation Units are expensive to build and complex to operate. By relying on a long term partnership with Air Liquide, our customers can avoid costly investments and focus their operational teams on their core processes. In addition, Air Liquide brings together the long history and the many years of experience and engineering support to run plants in an efficient and safe way.

What sort of customers are you supplying in Gabrovo and what was the reason for starting a filling center there?

In Gabrovo, we serve customers mostly in the metal fabrication industry, with needs in oxygen (metal cutting) and argon mixtures (welding). These customers are delivered in cylinders with innovative tops and highly process-efficient mixtures for welding. When needs grow, customers are delivered in liquid gases stored on their facilities in cryogenic installations. The start of this filling center in Gabrovo is the first step of Air Liquide Bulgaria to develop its cylinders business in the country and enlarge its customer’s base.

Do you export your production?

Yes, Air Liquide exports a small portion of its production in neighboring countries (Greece, FYROM and Romania). However, gases like oxygen and nitrogen are expensive to transport on long distances and our focus is mainly on the local market and the Bulgarian customers.

In which sectors, except for the color and black metallurgy, are your largest customers?

After copper and steel production, our largest customers are in automotive, shipyards, electronics, metal fabrication, glass and pulp & paper.

Last year, in Copenhagen, the XV-th United Nations Climate Change Conference was held; it was dedicated to cutting-edge technologies for clean energy and climate protection. What was the purpose of your participation there?
As the world leader in gases for industry, health and the environment, Air Liquide is engaged with sustainable development.
36 % of the company revenue comes from gas applications connected to life and environment protection. 60% from the science research budget is meant for development of energy saving and clean production technologies as well as for future energy developments.
84 % of the gas deliveries are made through pipelines or stationary units. The pipelines which are safe for the environment cover a network of more than 8500 km around the globe.
18 cogeneration units have replaced the old units which produce steam and electricity and which would have produced more CO2 emissions. In 2008, the cogeneration units of Air Liquide allowed 575 000 tons of CO2 emissions to be prevented from releasing into the atmosphere.

Do you offer any solutions for alternative energy?

Air Liquide intends to play an active role in creating viable alternative energy solutions. We understand the challenges facing the environment. The use of oxygen for oxygen combustion in industrial furnaces reduces nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) in the atmosphere and facilitates the capture of carbon dioxide. Hydrogen is indispensable in reducing the sulfur content in hydrocarbon emissions and therefore, sulfur oxide emissions (SOx) produced by their combustion.
Air Liquide is constantly increasing its involvement in areas such as cogeneration, second-generation biofuels and hydrogen energy which also offers significant potential for reducing CO2 emissions in the upcoming years. Air Liquide is also a key supplier in the photovoltaic industry.

What are your future plans for development and investments on the Bulgarian market?
Air Liquide is the number one industrial gases company in Bulgaria and our ambition is to reinforce this position. To do this, we will develop our partnerships with our current customers, position ourselves on new industrial investments, and enlarge our customers’ base by developing the cylinders business. To this effect, a second filling center is planned to open later in 2010. Our priorities remain Safety, Respect of the environment, Ethics and Customers’ Satisfaction.