Airgas Announces New Supply Agreement Awards with Premier
Three separate Premier Contract Awards cover cylinder gases, bulk products, and added-value services for more than 2,300 hospitals, 66,000 healthcare facilities
RADNOR, PA - April 7, 2010 - Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), today announced it has signed three separate supply agreements with Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., the group purchasing unit of Premier Inc. Based in Charlotte, NC, Premier is a healthcare performance improvement alliance that operates a leading healthcare purchasing network and serves more than 2,300 U.S. hospitals and 66,000 other healthcare sites.
Airgas provides Premier member institutions with bulk gases as part of a five-year supply agreement and cylinder gases as part of a three-year supply agreement. As part of a separate three-year agreement, Airgas also provides cylinder gases to Premier's 160 ASCEND (Accelerated Supply Chain Endeavor) members. Airgas serves Premier members through Airgas Puritan Medical and the Airgas market-focused Strategic Accounts program, which was established to provide sole-source supply and supply chain management services for customers with multiple locations nationwide.
"In addition to supplying Premier members with bulk and cylinder gases, we're providing a variety of services to help streamline their supply chain and improve cost efficiencies," said Jeff Green, Airgas Puritan Medical national accounts director. "Upon proper evaluations at each hospital, our OUTLOOK® Managed Services and AIM&trade (Airgas Inventory Management) programs provide on-site gas management, including cylinder tracking. In addition, MGM, Airgas' medical gas management business, provides architectural and construction services, medical gas piping to points of use certification of gas systems, and medical gas equipment installation and service. These are just a few of the ways that Airgas helps to improve the efficiencies of our customers' supply chains."
With a strategic focus on specific market segments, Airgas works with customers to fully understand their challenges and provide custom-tailored solutions. Airgas market segment leaders collaborate with account managers and teams within 12 Airgas regional organizations and more than 850 branch locations nationwide to provide the right solutions for a broad array of industries. The Airgas Puritan Medical group is working with Premier and its member healthcare institutions.
About Premier Inc., 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient
The Premier healthcare alliance is more than 2,300 U.S. hospitals and 66,000 other healthcare sites working together to improve healthcare quality and affordability. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier maintains the nation's most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading healthcare purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom's National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has offices in San Diego, Philadelphia and Washington. Follow Premier on Twitter.
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.
