On September 3, Taiyo Nippon Sanso (TNSC), through its US affiliate Matheson Tri-Gas, bought the business and related asset of Weld Specialty Gas & Equipment which is an industrial gas distributor located in Wisconsin. The purchase amount is not disclosed to the public.

The acquired business assets concretely include industrial gases (air-separation gases and specialty gases), gas-related equipment and welding machinery. The turnover for the FY2017 term ending December amounted to 2.5 million dollars (about JPY2.8 billion)．The acquired asset also includes four locations of business base, 65 employees, filling equipment, tank, cylinders and vehicles．The acquisition has something to do with the background that Matheson Tri-Gas has been selling industrial gases to the company.

TNSC put up the promotion of globalization as its basic policy in the midterm business plan “Ortus Stage 2” which started in 2017. In the United States TNSC established a base of package gases like cylinders or storage tanks around ASU, so that sales network can be expanded to raise profitability. Based on such a business model, TNSC is setting up more ASU and expanding the sales bases of packaged gases by the acquisition of business assets.

TNSC advanced into the State of Wisconsin when it bought up Valley National Gases in 2009 and also entered the bulk gas business by acquiring ASU from Air Liquide in September 2016. Newly acquired Weld Specialty has been engaged in its steady business for the regional fields of food processing, manufacturing, agriculture and medication in the State. TNSC is planning to foster the basic business continuously in the district of Milwaukee which is the largest city of the State taking advantage of the business from now on.