Air Liquide, a world leader in industrial and medical gases with operations in more than 70 countries, has established its new Delaware Research and Technology Center in Glasgow, New Castle County, Delaware. The Center currently employs a very diverse team of 90 scientists, researchers, engineers and administrative personnel and aims to have up to 160 employees on board in the next year or so.

Air Liquide chose to locate its new research and technology center in the Greater Philadelphia region to tap into the high quality of top engineering and scientific talent available. The redeveloped facility houses the majority of Air Liquide’s research and development activity in North America, and serves as headquarters for subsidiary Air Liquide Advanced Technologies U.S. LLC.

François Darchis, member of the Air Liquide Executive Committee, stated, “This new Center will enable us to accelerate innovation, discover new technologies, and expand into new markets by making use of our employees’ wide range of talent, as well as our solid partnerships with customers and research institutes. Whether we are refining technologies to enhance our products, or developing breakthrough innovations in promising areas such as hydrogen energy or medical gases, Air Liquide plans to maintain its leadership position in R&D to drive its growth.”

Teams from Air Liquide R&D and Advanced Technologies divisions gather almost 1,400 people of 25 different nationalities, spread across 18 centers in Europe, North America, and Japan.

Air Liquide’s R&D division is an international network, which develops high levels of expertise, and generates half of the patents that Air Liquide files every year. It supports and builds on over 100 industrial partnerships and over 100 affiliations with universities and research institutes. The Advanced Technologies division furthers the company’s skills and know-how in high-tech applications such as space systems, extremely low-temperature cryogenics, aerospace, gas engineering and hydrogen energy.

With nearly 37,000 employees in 72 countries, Air Liquide is a world leader in industrial and medical gases and related services. The Group offers innovative solutions based on constantly enhanced technologies and produces air gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon, rare gases…) and many other gases including hydrogen. The Group contributes to the manufacturing of many everyday products: bubbles in sparkling beverages, protective atmosphere for packed foods, oxygen for hospitals and homecare patients, ultra-pure gases for the semiconductor industry, hydrogen to desulfurize fuels…

Air Liquide is committed to sustainable development and helps to protect life. Founded in 1902, Air Liquide has successfully developed a long-term relationship with its shareholders built on trust and transparency and guided by the principles of corporate governance. Since the publication of its first consolidated financial statements in 1971, Air Liquide has posted strong and steady earnings growth. Sales in 2006 totaled 10,949 million euros, with sales outside France accounting for almost 80%. Air Liquide is listed on the Paris stock exchange and is a component of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices (ISIN code FR 0000120073).