Among whole domestic industrial gas distributors who had ended their financial year for a period of January-December 2011, the number of distributors having sold over 1 billion yen annually came to 171 whose sales in total amounted to 1,012.5 billion yen, with an increase by 9 distributors compared with those in the previous survey, who brought an increase in sales by 149.88 billion yen equivalent to 17.5%.

The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers exerted serious influences directly on the closing accounts of industrial gas distributors from the second half of FY2010 to the first half of FY2011. According to our survey, however, most of them marked recovery of business in their year-round closing accounts of FY2011. Out of the 171 distributors we ranked at this time, a majority accounting for 142 distributors were found to have increased their revenues.

Although the production and distribution activities were impeded by the interruption of electric current, power restriction and traffic congestion in the major cities mainly over the eastern part of Japan as well as the disaster-stricken area visited by the Great Earthquake and the consequent nuclear accidents, the year-round trend of economic recovery turned out to be on sure ground steadily ever since the fall of Lehman Brothers.

It is about the time that the FY 2012 accounts ending March were announced, and they presume that many industrial gas distributors will report their results to be flat or increasing, judging from the good business climate throughout the second half of 2011. However, since January of this year, the business condition has changed into a dull tone again. It may affect the business results of the companies who are to close their FY accounts in the latter part of this year.

The total sales of 27 industrial gas distributors in the ranking list each having sold more than 10 billion yen, with Tomoe Shokai (Tokyo) ranked at the top as before and Fujiox (Tokyo) at 27th, amounted to 589.9 billion yen, up a little over 16% from the previous year. Their sales accounted for 58.3% of those attained by 171 companies in total of the same industry.

Among those ranked distributors, there were seven companies which sold more than 20 billion and their total sales amounted to a little over 300 billion yen accounting for 29.8% of all. From 28th-ranked Kyushu Air Water (Fukuoka) down to 52nd-ranked Kagaku Kousho (Miyagi) each having sold more than 5 billion, their total sales amounted to 765.1 billion up about 20% from the previous year accounting for 75.5% of all sales. It goes without saying that the ups and downs of the industry largely depends upon the business performances of those leading distributors.