South America: A New Commercial Success In Steel
Air Liquide is pleased to announce a major commercial success in the growing Brazilian steel
market. An international partnership consisting of Air Liquide Brazil; White Martins, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Praxair Inc; and ThyssenKrupp MinEnergy, a wholly owned subsidiary of the ThyssenKrupp
group, has signed a twenty-year agreement to supply industrial gases to ThyssenKrupp CSA
Companhia Siderúgica, which is a joint venture between the German ThyssenKrupp Steel AG and
Companhia Vale do Rio Doce of Brazil.
The mining and metals industry in Brazil has been undergoing an important transformation over
the past several years. Increasing quantities of iron ore from its high quality deposits are being converted
locally into steel to serve growing international markets. Steel manufacturing uses large quantities
of industrial gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon to increase efficiency and product quality.
ThyssenKrupp CSA plans to construct a new integrated steel mill 60 kms south of Rio de Janeiro, which
will begin operations in early 2009. It is expected to produce five million tonnes of steel slabs each year.
To meet the customer's needs, Air Liquide Brazil will build and operate air separation units owned
by Air Liquide and White Martins to supply the steel mill with the industrial gases, primarily oxygen. The
units will also supply blast furnace air and compressed dry air to the steel complex. The investment will
be shared by members of the partnership and will have a production capacity of 3,000 tonnes per day
of oxygen.
Pierre Dufour, Executive Vice-President, and member of Air Liquide's Executive Committee, stated:
"We are happy to accompany ThyssenKrupp in this major new project which is a state of the art
solution helping our customer to improve his efficiency. This important success reinforces our
position in South America, demonstrating the dynamism and efficiency of our teams and the
quality of the relations we forge with our customers, in particular, in the field of steel and metals
manufacturing, throughout the world."
Founded in 1945, Air Liquide Brazil employs over 700 people, and serves its customers from 25 manufacturing facilities across
the country. Air Liquide Brazil's business covers customers in steel manufacturing, chemicals and petrochemicals in major
industrial basins, as well as various processing industries (metal, glass, food, laboratories, etc.) and health, both in hospitals
and in patients' homes.
Present 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. These solutions, which are consistent with Air Liquide's
commitment to sustainable development, help to protect life and enable our customers to manufacture many indispensable
everyday products. Founded in 1902, Air Liquide has more than 36,000 employees. The Group 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).
For further information, please contact:
Corporate Communication
Dominique Maire + 33 (0)1 40 62 53 56
Corinne Estrade-Bordry + 33 (0)1 40 62 51 31
www.airliquide.com
