This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Air Liquide cerró el 2012 con una cifra de negocios consolidada de 15.326 millones de euros

Air Clear closed the 2012 with a figure of businesses consolidated of 15.326 million euros

15/02/2013

15 February 2013

The Board of directors of Air Clear, gathered on 13 February 2013, approved the accounts auditsed of the exercise 2012. The external auditsors will issue a report without exceptions.

The figure of businesses consolidated 2012 rises to 15.326 million euros. In some world-wide economic surroundings with contrasts, the activity gases and Services registers a solid growth of +6,5%. In comparable growth, the developing economies, that represent today 23% of the sales, attain a progression of two figures (+11%) whereas the economies advanced reach 1%. The fourth quarter shows an improvement of the growth in all the regions.

The year has been marked by a growth sustained of the Big activity Industries mainly thanks to the increase of the demand of hydrogen in Asia and in United States for the refining and the chemicals, and by the progression of the Medicinal activity promoted by the organic growth and the acquisitions in Europe. The activity Industrial Market marks a light growth in some very competitive surroundings, whereas the Electronic activity has showed signals of recovery in the fourth quarter.

The result of common exploitation registers an increase of +6,3% in 2.560 million euros. The margin of exploitation, that benefits of gains in efficiency that reach the 284 million euros, remains stable in 16,7%. The net result (atribuible to the Group) rises to 1.609 million euros, with a progression of +4,9%. The tesoreria (after the Request of change of the Capital Circulante) goes up 11,7%. The net debt is of 6.103 million euros, stable excluding acquisitions, and represents 58% of the own bottoms. The performance of the capital invested pro form keeps in 11,9%.

Commenting the results 2012, Benoît Potier, president-general director of the group Air Clear, has declared: “In a context of ralentización economic world-wide of the 2012, the results of the Group are solid. Our wide geographic presence, our initiatives in the new markets and the selective acquisitions allow us show a new progression of the activity and of the operative results.

In 2012, the total amount of the decisions of investment rose to 2,9 billion of euros, the highest level from 2007. The increase of the requests in Engineering and Construction, the high level of the wallet of opportunities of investment to 12 months and the `set up of 50 planned units in the next two years confirm the confidence of our customers to half term.

The Group continues strengthening reinforcing his competitiveness and the innovation to ensure a profitable growth on a long-term basis, supporting in a program of investments sustained and in efficiencies whose aim for the period 2011-2015 increases 30% until 1,3 billion of euros.

Except degradation of the surroundings, Air Clear trust his capacity to realise a new year of growth of his net result in 2013”.