“The financial closings for the 3 industrial gas companies listed on the stock market, and Air Liquide Japan which is a non-listed company, are all out for FY 2013. For the listed companies this runs from April, 2012 –March, 2013, and for Air Liquide Japan from January –December, 2012.

Total sales for all 4 companies together added up to 1.754 trillion yen. Although sales showed an increase of 1.3% over the previous year, operating profit amounted to 7.21 billion yen, down by 15.3% and working profit to 79.2 billion yen, down by 8.7%. Net profit for the term came to 27.5 billion yen, down by 43.7%. The industrial gas business was in a recovery stage from the economic slump following the Lehman Shock but was a this year in which it got caught once more in a backdraft with a deceleration in the electronics sector, the appreciation of the yen, an increase in electricity fees, and a delay in a demand related to recovery from the disaster caused by the earthquake.

Regarding free cash flow (operating and investment cash flows) of the industrial gas companies for the period ended March, 2013, Taiyo Nippon Sanso and Air Water showed minus figures.

For the balance of cash at the end of the reporting period, Taiyo Nippon Sanso showed a decrease of 31.7% or 22.7 billion yen over the previous year, while Iwatani showed a decrease of 26% or 14.026 billion yen. Air Water showed a decrease of 9.7% or 19.4 billion yen. Air Liquide Japan does not reveal the cash flow.”