(Archived) Praxair Cryogenic Freezer System Is Right Combination For Ocean Boy

DANBURY, Conn., January 31, 2003 — Praxair, Inc. (NYSE: PX) today announced the ongoing success of a brand new cryogenic freezing system installation at Ocean Boy Farms of Clewiston, Florida. Ocean Boy Farms is the first and largest inland marine shrimp farm in Florida. Ocean Boy is dedicated to growing and processing high-quality, premium shrimp without polluting the environment. The new Praxair liquid nitrogen freezing system was the perfect choice for the environmentally conscious Ocean Boy Farms.

"We don’t discharge, we recycle everything and we use no antibiotics," said Ocean Boy’s Vice President Robin Pearl. "Our operation is completely natural, completely sustainable and environmentally friendly." After seeing the freezers at the International Boston Seafood Show, Ocean Boy signed a five-year agreement for liquid nitrogen and equipment, including an 18-foot freezing tunnel coupled with an immersion freezer and 11,000-gallon nitrogen tank. Ocean Boy consulted with Praxair’s Freezing Engineering group, based in Wooster, Ohio, to design the immersion/post-cool tunnel, which provides Ocean Boy with flexibility in processing various types of shrimp.

"It’s working great," Pearl noted. "We’ve frozen a half-million pounds of shrimp in the past six months, and I’m more than satisfied. We chose Praxair because their equipment sales team and refrigeration experts explained the advantages of the system, and the new system has given us the ability to meet the needs of our growing list of customers." Pearl further noted that Praxair differentiated itself by being the only industrial gas company to present actual freezing data from its Food Technologies Laboratory in Burr Ridge, Illinois.

Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2002 sales of $5.1 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric and process gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies bring productivity and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others. More information on Praxair is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com.