Airgas joins S&P 500

Airgas has been added to the S&P 500, arguably the most widely followed index of large-cap American stocks after the Dow Jones Industrial Average. “It is an honour to be included in this important index and a rewarding affirmation of the consistent growth strategies that have marked our 27-year history,” says chairman and CEO Peter McCausland. Since its founding by McCausland in 1982, Airgas has made approximately 400 acquisitions and now generates annual revenues in excess of $4bn. The company has been specifically added to the S&P 500 Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) Industrial Gases Sub-Industry Index.

Meanwhile, the company reports that its AiRx™ Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) has been certified by the American Petroleum Institute (API) as complying with all relevant industry and quality standards for use in Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology to reduce diesel exhaust pollutants. “In order to meet 2010 clean air regulations, most diesel truck manufacturers are using SCR technology in all new models,” says Ted Schulte, Airgas Specialty Products president. “Our nitrogen oxide abatement, or DeNOx, experience with stationary applications, such as coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, served us very well in creating Airgas AiRx to work with diesel engine SCR technology in mobile applications,” he continues.

www.airgas.com