Industrial gases distributor Airgas, Inc., Radnor, PA, has agreed to acquire Houston, TX-based Aeriform Corp., an independent distributor with 29 locations in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Aeriform has 240 employees and annual sales of $65 million. About 58% of its revenue comes from gas & rent, with the balance from traditional welding hardgoods.
“This will be a great fit with our core business operations along the Gulf Coast and the Mid South,” said Airgas Chairman and CEO Peter McCausland. “The added resources will improve our coverage and help us efficiently deliver better service to customers in this key energy market.”
Airgas will integrate most of the operations into three of its regional companies: Airgas Southwest will integrate 14 sites in Texas, including locations near Houston, Victoria, El Paso and Lubbock. Airgas Gulf States will integrate seven sites in southern Louisiana and east Texas. Airgas Mid South will integrate two sites in Kansas, and four sites in Oklahoma, and two locations in Shreveport, LA.
Airgas, Inc. is a U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and related hardgoods, such as welding equipment and supplies. Airgas is also a distributor of safety products, nitrous oxide and dry ice, liquid carbon dioxide producer in the Southeast, and a distributor of process chemicals, refrigerants and ammonia products. Its 10,000 employees work in about 900 locations including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities and distribution centers.
