All Hot topics articles – Page 3
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Features
Fuel cell technologies: A status report
In North America, fuel cell technologies and hydrogen continue to make steady progress in terms of their development, application, and commercialization, writes Agnes H. Baker.
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Features
Hot topic: The ‘Belt and Road’
Victor Leung explores the new initiative in China and what this means for the industrial gas and equipment industry.
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Features
Hydrogen Council gathers pace
Welcoming new steering members and supporting members alike to the fold in recent weeks, the first-of-its-kind Hydrogen Council is gathering momentum. Rob Cockerill asks, is this a big step forward in the energy transition?
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Features
Qatari helium: Back on-stream, but still in a storm
By now, everyone who has at least a passing interest in the helium business is aware that the Saudi Arabian-led embargo of Qatar resulted in the temporary cut-off of the supply of Qatari helium to world markets.
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Features
Geopolitics threatens hydrogen economy, world helium supply
During just one week, not long after Memorial Day, the industrial gases world suddenly, and dramatically, moved toward becoming collateral damage in the realm of geopolitics.
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Features
Better times ahead
When The Linde Group revealed its first quarter 2017 results on 28th April, it completed a week of seemingly positive financials among the major players. So what are these signs of encouragement, and how much can we read into them?
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Features
Time to comply: Food Safety and Modernization Act
If you are a large company with more than 500 employees you’re already in the middle of dealing with compliance issues surrounding the provisions of the US government’s Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA). As for everyone else, primarily most of our readership in the industrial gas manufacturing, and gases ...
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Features
Cylinder strategies – New study calculates total cost of ownership
After TrackAbout threw the spotlight on supply chain inefficiencies with liquid cylinders recently, as explored in gas world’s February 2017 hot topic, the total cost of ownership of cylinders as a whole is now in focus with the emergence of a new study.
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Features
Industry attacks welding shortage with education programs
Over the past five years, the American welder shortage has gone from concern to crisis. In 1988, according to the US Bureau and Labor Statistics, there were 570,000 welders in the US, but by 2012 that number had dwindled to fewer than 360,000, mainly due to older welders retiring.
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Features
Whatever happened to organic growth?
As Praxair and Linde stand on the brink of a probable $65bn merger of equals, Air Products makes its move for China’s Yingde Gases, and various pockets of regional mergers and acquisitions (M A) continue to proliferate, all in the wake of Air Liquide’s $13.4bn acquisition of Airgas last year, ...
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Features
Air Products in pursuit of acquiring China’s Yingde
While suspense grows over the long-anticipated mega merger between Praxair and Linde, speculation is surfacing of another significant deal that could also be part of an overall tectonic shift when it comes to industrial gas business market share.
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Features
Hot topic: Liquid cylinders
It’s a brand new year with brand new savings to be made in the bulk liquid market of cryogenic gases, as a study shows that a quiet yet unsettling depletion trend has been infiltrating the cryogenic distribution chain.
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Features
The ‘Trumpian’ era – What this political shift might mean
Arguably the biggest story of 2016 was the shock election of Republican candidate Donald Trump to US President, over Democrat rival Hillary Clinton. A hard-fought and often bitter race to the White House was won in November, and culminates in the official transition to President on 20th January.
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News
Praxair-Linde merger: What happens next?
With news of a potential merger between Praxair, Inc. and Linde AG dominating the headlines for the past several months, the deal looks like its back on the table after both Tier One players put out official statements today of their intention to combine.
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Features
Hot topic: On the verge of a hydrogen tipping point
Across the country in early October, scientists and engineers have been celebrating National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day. Aptly chosen to represent the atomic weight of hydrogen (1.008), National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day was celebrated for the first time on October 8, 2015 and this year we’re keeping the ...
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Features
Another volatile year for rare gases
As we near the end of 2016, we look back on another volatile year for rare gases. In my previous rare gases market review (gasworld.com/2009662.article), we reported that neon (Ne) was in a very critical supply shortage during early to mid-2015…
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Features
Hot topic: CO2 supply outlook
Carbon dioxide is an important industrial gas. Unlike oxygen, nitrogen and argon, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a by-product of a main supplier’s operations, so understanding the dynamics of the industries supplying the feedstock is critical to understanding CO2 supply.
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Features
Hot topic: Start-up’s signal a shift in future hydrogen supply
Hydrogen has been consistently in the news of late and, indeed, throughout 2016 as a whole. From new plants coming on-stream to clean fuel contracts and fuel cell technology collaborations, hydrogen is arguably in demand like never before.
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News
Hot topic: Why your purchasing strategy matters
What is the driver behind this article, you may ask? Well, we attended the GAWDA Spring Management Conference in Savannah, GA, in April. Efficiency of distributors was part of the theme of a panel of experts that, in the main, were discussing the supply chain and how gas distributors could ...
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News
Praxair and Linde: Discussing a new chapter
There is an expression ‘what goes around, comes around’ and that is very true related to the breaking news of a potential merger between Praxair, Inc. and The Linde Group. Here, gasworld Business Intelligence explores the history and potential future between the Tier One players.