New Acquisition Offers Further US Expansion To Leading Industrial Gas Providers

Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. (USA) a global manufacturer and supplier of industrial, medical, electronics and specialty gases and welding supplies recently announced it has completed the acquisition of Western International Gas and Cylinders, Inc. a Texas-based manufacturer and wholesale supplier of acetylene, propylene, high pressure gases, cylinders, valves and related services. Matheson is the largest subsidiary of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (“TNSC”), which is one of the top five global producers of industrial, medical, electronics and specialty gases and is headquartered in Japan.

Hirosuke Matsueda, President of TNSC, said “The acquisition of Western supports TNSC’s ongoing strategy to increase market presence and capability in the United States. We see Western as an important factor in helping us pursue our U.S. growth strategy.”

“Western’s history of serving the wholesale fuel gas market safely and reliably through their innovative use of technology will continue to serve them well in driving future growth of their business,” said William J. Kroll, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Matheson . “Western will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Matheson Tri-Gas and as an independent corporation with a separate Board of Directors comprised of MTG and Western representatives. Dan Hord III will serve on the Board of Directors.”

“We see this development as providing Western International Gas and Cylinders access to resources and products that will help us achieve higher rates of growth” said Dan Hord III, President and CEO of Western. “We are now positioned to expand our wholesale model to supply a broader range of products and services to the retail and independent distributor markets.”