AIR LIQUIDE Take precautions and strive for excellence

Air Liquide is a global leader in industrial and medical gas technology and has been supplying equipment to China since the 1970s. It now has nearly 90 factories and more than 4,000 employees in the country, covering more than 40 cities. Air Liquide’s operation philosophy in China is in line with China’s development goals. After covering China’s major coastal industrial areas, Air Liquide continues to develop toward the central and western regions, and actively transforms the industrial gas and equipment manufacturing industries to achieve long-term development in the region.

In 2014, to adapt to the gradual slowdown of China’s economic growth and the shift to the new normal, Air Liquide China began to adopt a new strategy —the “excellence” program, that is, it began to pursue profitable growth and prolonged sustainable development. The company has been shifting the focus of its business toward helping customers optimize energy conversion and energy efficiency.

Air Liquide is committed to providing ancillary services for upgrading gas and hydrodesulfurization, and promoting the wide application of new technologies in new energy markets, with particular attention to hydrogen, biogas and small-scale LNG.

Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier and solution for environmental protection. In 2015, under the witness of the prime ministers of China and France, Air Liquide and SAIC signed a strategic cooperation letter to lead the development of China’s hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. At present, the demonstration projects of hydrogen energy have been further promoted, including small hydrogen fuel buses in Shanghai. In June this year, again under the witness of the Chinese and French prime ministers, Air Liquide signed a cooperation agreement with China’s startup STNE to help the rollout of hydrogen-powered electric truck fleets in Chinaby providing its advanced technology in hydrogen production, transportation and storage.

The company also makes full use of China’s rich biogas resources, relying on its technical solution for biogas purification and the industrial chain extended through the production of CNG, the liquefaction of biomethane and its renewable hydrogen to achieve local biogas purification. Besides, it has introduced the advanced sewage treatment technology and environmentally-friendly solutions from Europe to China for commercial uses, helping Chinese clients significantly reduce the cost of sludge treatment.