Airco Industrial Gases

Company History: On November 16, 1916, the Air Reduction Company was officially chartered from American Oxygen and Air Liquide, and began producing and marketing high-purity oxygen.
In 1908, after years of research and discussion, Percy Rockefeller - nephew of John D Rockefeller - and Air Liquide investors formed the American Oxygen Company. In 1914, Air Liquide (the company formed in 1902 to manufacture high-purity oxygen from air) began talks with American Oxygen Company to use its liquefaction process for the production of oxygen in America. American Oxygen bought liquefaction, distillation and oxygen compression equipment from Air Liquide and built its first plant in Philadelphia in 1915. Production sold out in two months. The success of the Philadelphia plant convinced the investors to build five additional oxygen plants in major industrial cities, Brooklyn, Newark, Pittsburgh, St Louis and Chicago, with Air Liquide providing the equipment.
This company, later to become Airco, was acquired in 1978 by British Oxygen Company (BOC) through an hostile takeover. It then became Airco Industrial Gases, a division of the BOC Group. The BOC Group plc was the official name of the multinational industrial gas and British based company more commonly known as BOC, and now a part of the Linde Group. An important part of BOC's history was the acquisition of Airco Industrial Gases, an American competitor. After 11 years of litigation, in 1978 Airco became a wholly owned subsidiary of BOC. The enlarged company changed its name to the BOC Group. In September 2004, BOC had over 30,000 employees on six continents, with sales of over £10.6 billion. BOC was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index and the FT 30. On 5 September 2006 the BOC Group became part of the Linde Group of Germany and is no longer traded as a separate company.

Successor/Parent History: The BOC Group plc was the official name of the multinational industrial gas and British based company more commonly known as BOC, and now a part of the Linde Group. In September 2004, BOC had over 30,000 employees on six continents, with sales of over £10.6 billion. BOC was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index and the FT 30.
On 5 September 2006 the BOC Group became part of the Linde Group of Germany and is no longer traded as a separate company.

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