Air Products Signs Long-Term Contracts with Leading Steel Manufacturers in China

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air Products , a globally diversified gases and chemicals company, has signed long-term contracts with Tangshan Guo Feng Steel Co Ltd and Tangshan Fu Feng Steel Co Ltd in Tangshan, Hebei Province to supply gaseous oxygen, nitrogen and argon to their steel works.

Air Products will build and operate a new large air separation plant in Tangshan to provide this supply. The plant, which is scheduled to come on- stream in late 2007, will be primarily built by Air Products' engineering and manufacturing centers in China. This will be the second Air Products air separation plant in Tangshan supplying to Guo Feng and Fu Feng.

"Air Products has been supplying Guo Feng since 1999. They brought our first air separation plant in Tangshan on-stream both on time and safely. We are delighted to award a new contract to Air Products for our next phase of expansion," said Mr. Zhang Zhen, general manager of Guo Feng.

Wilbur Mok, president of Air Products China, said, "These contracts reinforce our supply relationship with the two leading steel manufacturers in Northern China, and they underscore our customers' confidence in Air Products. The new plant will further strengthen our supply position in Tangshan, a major steel production center in China."

Tangshan, a major industrial city in Hebei Province, is one of the largest steel production centers in China. Its annual steel production exceeds 30 million tons. China's steel production is growing at close to 20 percent annually.

Air Products has been supplying customers in Tangshan since 1997 and is a leading gas supplier to the steel industry in Northern China. The company was one of the first international industrial gas companies to enter China with a joint venture in 1987, and has established leading positions in key industrial markets in China.

About Air Products

Air Products serves customers in technology, energy, healthcare and industrial markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of products, services and solutions, providing atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials and chemical intermediates. Founded in 1940, Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture, operational excellence and commitment to safety and the environment and is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability and FTSE4Good Indices. The company has annual revenues of US$8.1 billion, operations in over 30 countries, and more than 20,000 employees around the globe.

For more information, visit http://www.airproducts.com/ or http://www.airproducts.com.cn/.

***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current expectations.