APD Air Products and Chemicals Inc

Designed and Built Locally to Meet Customer's Needs LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., March 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air Products (NYSE:APD) has brought a new nitrogen plant in China on stream for InfoVision Optoelectronics (IVO), a leading Chinese producer of flat-panel displays. It is the first nitrogen plant of its kind that was designed and built locally in China. The new plant is based on Air Products' high efficiency design, which delivers reliable and cost-effective nitrogen to customers in the electronics and other industries around the world. This plant is located at IVO's factory in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province and provides nitrogen to IVO under a long term contract. IVO produces 5G TFT-LCD panels in a state-of-the-art production centre that represents a US$1 billion investment and is a major project under China's Eleventh Five-Year Plan. The plant is also the first Air Products nitrogen plant in China commissioned using local resources including design, manufacturing and construction. The cold box was fabricated by Air Products' equipment manufacturing facility in Caojing, Shanghai, and the main air compressor was assembled locally. "The successful completion of this project is a milestone in our development in China. The localization not only allows us to meet the project targets on time, it also enables us to supply our customer with reliable bulk nitrogen at a competitive cost while maintaining the quality standards for which Air Products is known worldwide. This greatly reinforces our position as a leading gas supplier to China's electronics industry," said Andy Tuan, general manager of the Electronics Division in China, Air Products. "We are very pleased with Air Products' performance on this project," said Hsueh Ching Yuan, Head of Facility Department of InfoVision Optoelectronics. "The nitrogen plant was completed on time and on budget, thanks to close cooperation between the Air Products team and our own people. A reliable and high-quality nitrogen supply is critical to the production of LCDs." Strategically located adjacent to Shanghai Chemical Industry Park, Air Products' facility in Caojing has broad capabilities to design, engineer and manufacture cryogenic equipment to support air separation unit projects in China and other Asian markets. The Caojing facility is complemented by Air Products' engineering center in Shanghai, which handles engineering design, project development and project management. Air Products (NYSE:APD) serves customers in industrial, energy, technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. 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 $9 billion, operations in over 40 countries, and over 20,000 employees around the globe. For more information, visit http://www.airproducts.com/. ***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current expectations. DATASOURCE: Air Products CONTACT: Media: Asia, Jessica Cheng, +1-852-286-0585, , or US, Robert Brown, +1-610-481-1192, , or Investor Inquiries: Nelson Squires, +1-610-481-7461, e-mail: all of Air Products Web site: http://www.airproducts.com/

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