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Acquisition Activity Heats Up Cold Winter Airgas to Purchase BOC's U.S. Packaged Gas Business (Radnor, PA) • Airgas signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire most of the assets of the U.S. packaged gas business of BOC Group in a transaction valued up to $200 million. The companies are working toward signing a definitive asset purchase agreement, subject to customary closing conditions and applicable regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in mid 2004, and would include retail stores, warehouses, fill plants and other operations involved in distributing packaged gases and welding equipment sold through BOC's stores and distributors. The business includes the range of packaged industrial, medical and most specialty gases. The business to be acquired generated about $240 million in revenues in fiscal 2003. Approximately 65% of the revenues would be from gas sales and cylinder rent, with the remainder from welding hardgoods and supplies. The transaction would exclude packaged electronic gases, helium and hydrogen delivered in tube trailer or in liquid form, and bulk gases, including bulk medical and bulk gases supplied to its distributors. The transaction also would not affect BOC's merchant liquid and tonnage/on-site business in North America and its packaged gases businesses in other parts of the world. Air Liquide Acquires Messer Griesheim Operations (Houston, TX) • Air Liquide signed an agreement with Messer Griesheim regarding the proposed acquisition of Messer's industrial gas activities in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the U.S., Messer is established mainly in the North and East. This geographic presence complements Air Liquide's existing operations, located mainly in the West and South. Closing of the acquisition is subject to approval by anti-trust authorities in Europe and the U.S. and is conditional on the completion of MIG's acquisition of the remaining Messer Griesheim group. Concurrent with that transaction, the Messer family will sell Messer's activities in Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. to Air Liquide. Hazmat Driver Certification • GAWDA General Counsel and Government Affairs Consultant Rick Schweitzer has developed a certification form to verify that drivers are still eligible to hold a hazmat endorsement to their CDLs under the new Transportation Security Administration requirements. Click here to view and print the notice and certification form. Safety
and Technology Organizer Now Available
•
GAWDA's Safety
and Technology Organizer for February is now available online
at www.gawda.org/secure/safetyorganizer.cfm. Coastal Makes the Cut Fifteen years ago, Bob Howard, outside sales rep for Coastal Welding Supply in Beaumont, TX, knocked on the door of a new business in Port Arthur. R&R Marine Maintenance let him in, and the door has been open ever since. Coastal Welding Supply earned its reputation as a trusted supplier in those early days, and continues to earn the trust and respect of the customer.
Recently, Howard was visiting the customer's site and observed employees using a manual pipe beveling machine to cut 1.5 inch thick stainless steel pipe. The travel was inconsistent, and the welders were spending two to three hours cleaning up the cut. They asked for help. Howard knew he could improve the process, but in this time of tight budget constraints, also knew the customer would need to be convinced beyond any doubt that spending $12,000 for a new system was a good decision. The solution would have to be profitable and productive. Howard contacted Frank Mazzela, sales rep at Mathey Dearman, and arranged a hands-on demonstration at the customer's site. They set up a Mathey Dearman motorized Mini-Jolly chain machine. It became clear pretty fast that their solution was the right one. The Mini-Jolly's low-end travel speed provided the consistent quality cuts they were looking for when cutting thick wall. Consistent and Quality...two words say it all when describing Coastal Welding Supply and its valued partners. GAWDA welcomes new Associate Members IDC Buying Group of Eagle Point, OR, and Sparkling Carbonic of Cincinnati, OH. INDUSTRY
BEAT Taylor-Wharton Announces Surcharges (Camp Hill, PA) • Taylor-Wharton announced price surcharges, effective February 15, on cryogenic bulk tanks, portable liquid cylinders, beverage carbonation equipment, high pressure and acetylene cylinders, and certain cryogenic freezers. Scott Boyd, vice president of sales and marketing, notes, "Although Taylor-Wharton has made every effort to stabilize costs, recent extraordinary surcharges implemented by our steel suppliers can no longer be absorbed." Boyd further comments that at the time of order placement, "Taylor-Wharton will require all customers to acknowledge their commitment to pay the surcharges." He explained that this unusual procedure is the result of similar documentation required of Taylor-Wharton by the steel vendors.
Melnuk Named Thermadyne CEO (St. Louis, MO) • Paul D. Melnuk was named CEO of Thermadyne Holdings Corp. He will continue as chairman of the Board. Melnuk has served on the Thermadyne Board of Directors since May 2003, and was elected chairman in October. Melnuk's diverse professional background includes senior executive positions with public companies in oil refining and marketing, precious metals and contracting services. Prior to joining Thermadyne, he founded and was managing partner of FTL Capital Partners, LLC, a private equity firm. In keeping with appropriate corporate governance practices, John G. Johnson Jr., a current independent Board member since May 2003, was appointed lead director.
Patterson Joins Koike Aronson (Arcade, NY) • David Patterson was named national sales manager at Koike Aronson, where he will work with the company's network of 10 field sales reps and 175 distributors. Patterson has nearly 20 years of experience managing industrial equipment sales, most recently at Pierce Industries. Air Products Appoints Minella HR VP (Lehigh Valley, PA) • Air Products named Lynn C. Minella vice president, human resources, and member of the Corporate Executive Committee, succeeding Leonard V. Broese van Groenou, who will retire at the end of this month after nearly 30 years with the company.
Weaver to Lead Rexarc Marketing (West Alexandria, OH) • Rexarc International announces the appointment of Eric M. Weaver to the position of director of marketing and inside sales manager.
Compensation Study Deadline Extended • The deadline for submitting the GAWDA 2004 Employee Compensation Study has been extended to March 15. If you did not receive or have misplaced your survey form, please contact Profit Planning Group by fax at 303-444-9245. You may also request a copy by e-mail at surveys@profitplanninggroup.com or find a copy of the survey on www.profitplanninggroup.com under the questionnaires tab. If you have questions as you complete the survey, fax them to Profit Planning Group at 303-444-9245 or e-mail to info@profitplanninggroup.com. Your responses are completely confidential. GAWDA Launches Aggressive New Member Campaign • Membership Chair Bob Thornton, Vice-Chair Whip Seaman, staff Membership Director Dan Cleary and an enthusiastic committee of 32 Active and Associate Members from throughout the U.S. and Canada have launched a major ongoing initiative to increase GAWDA's membership. Initially, the committee will be contacting over 200 prospective welding and gases distributors. Committee members are listed on GAWDA's Web site at www.gawda.org/membercmte.cfm. If you know of a company interested in joining GAWDA, please notify Dan Cleary at dcleary@fernley.com or 215-564-3484. HR Report Available Now • Click here to read the February edition of the HR Manager's Legal Reporter at GAWDA's Web site. GAWDA Clearinghouse Updated • The GAWDA Clearinghouse has been updated for February and is now available online. While you’re there, check out the Clearinghouse Buyers Addition to find out what members need. In order to access this area of the GAWDA Web site, you will need your user name and password. If you have forgotten your login or if you need one, please e-mail gawda@gawda.org. NAW Announces Strategic Relationship With Deloitte U.S. • The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) is launching a new strategic relationship with Deloitte & Touche and Deloitte Consulting (Deloitte U.S.) to develop strategies, tools and techniques to assist wholesaler-distributors "to be so good at what they do that nobody else will do it." The joint initiative was announced at NAW's 2004 Executive Summit in Washington, D.C. It is anticipated that the relationship will have an initial phase of two years during which the two organizations will develop and deploy knowledge that distributor management can apply to their business practices to help wholesaler-distributors remain a strongly preferred force in the supply chain.
Rick Doyle Joins NAW Board • GAWDA Executive Director Rick Doyle was elected to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) in his new role as chairman-elect of NAW's Association Executive Council. He took office on January 29 and will serve a three-year term. NAW is the Washington, D.C.-based trade association that represents over 100 national line-of-trade associations, including GAWDA, that represent virtually all products that move to market via wholesaler-distributors; 50 regional, state and local wholesale distribution associations; approximately 40,000 wholesale distribution companies, most of which belong to one or more of NAW's national, regional, state and local associations; and 85,000 wholesale distribution company personnel. NAW is active in government relations and political action, research and education, and group purchasing.
Safety and
HR Compliance Webinar
GAWDA Webinar Gawda.org is the industry's "Keeper of the Knowledge." Learn how to mine this 1,000+ page Web site to quickly find a requested news item, regulatory interpretation, MSDS, industry financial comparison, or a member's phone number and address. This presentation is designed for owners, managers and all key personnel who need to tap into the industry's largest database of issues relevant to distributors and manufacturers. Click here for more information.
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