Airgas and Street's Announce Marketing Agreement for LCO2 Used in 'Eco-Friendly' Dry Cleaning System
RADNOR, PA and NAPERVILLE, IL - November 13, 2007 - R.R. Street & Co. Inc. (Street's), a 131-year leader in the dry cleaning industry, and Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), the nation's largest distributor of packaged industrial, specialty, and medical gases, today announced a new marketing agreement.
Under the new agreement, Street's Solvair, LLC will offer Airgas' custom-engineered liquid carbon dioxide gas supply system and ongoing liquid product as part of its services package for customers of its groundbreaking new Solvair® Cleaning System.
According to Street, this revolutionary technology is environmentally friendly, gentle on delicate fabrics, and removes a wider range of stains and soils than any other available process. The company has installed its first Solvair unit in a dry cleaning establishment in Illinois and will be adding units in New Jersey, California, and Louisiana over the next several weeks and throughout the U.S. in 2008.
"Solvair is a major advance in the science of cleaning garments and is the result of more than eight years of intensive research and development," says Ross Beard, president and chief executive officer of Street's.
The Solvair process technology uses a process in which garments are cleaned with an effective and biodegradable cleaning liquid for exceptional cleaning power. Uniquely, the Solvair process then dries garments without heat by gently bathing them in a succession of cool rinses with pressurized liquid carbon dioxide, which removes the remaining cleaning liquid from the garments. When the liquid carbon dioxide is converted back into gas, the clothes are cool and dry.
"With this agreement, Solvair will be able to offer its customers a cost-effective supply of consistent quality liquid carbon dioxide," said Kelly Justice, senior vice president for Airgas, Inc., who is leading the design of the liquid carbon dioxide systems. "We have worked with Solvair to custom-engineer a more eco-friendly and efficient liquid carbon dioxide gas supply system that will work with this revolutionary cleaning process. It also includes telemetry and on-site monitoring to ensure safe and reliable supply. Airgas has the resources to provide both engineering expertise and liquid carbon dioxide to Solvair customers nationwide."
About R. R. Street & Co. Inc. and Solvair
Solvair was developed by R.R Street & Co. Inc. (Street's). Founded in 1876, Street's has a long history of innovative technology development. Street's is well known for designing, developing, and marketing reliable, high quality cleaning processes for the professional cleaning industry. Street's is the leader in the manufacture and marketing of dry cleaning solvents, process additives, stain removal agents and filtration products in North America. For more information about Solvair, visit www.solvaircleaningsystem.com, or contact (866) SOLVAIR, or (866) 705-8247.
About Airgas, Inc.
Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and hardgoods, such as welding equipment and supplies. Airgas is also one of the largest U.S. distributors of safety products, the largest U.S. producer of nitrous oxide and dry ice, the largest liquid carbon dioxide producer in the Southeast, and a leading distributor of process chemicals, refrigerants, and ammonia products. More than 14,000 employees work in over 1,100 locations, including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities and distribution centers. Airgas also distributes its products and services through eBusiness, catalog and telesales channels. Its national scale and strong local presence offer a competitive edge to its diversified customer base. For more information, please visit www.airgas.com.
For more information on Airgas, please visit www.airgas.com
Airgas, Inc.
259 N. Radnor-Chester Road
Suite 100
Radnor, PA 19087
tel: (610) 687-5253
fax: (610) 687-1052
Mike Molinini
Phone: (610) 902-6011
