(Archived) Praxair's ProStar Brand Celebrates 10 Years of Success

DANBURY, Conn., November 5, 2003 — Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX) today announced that 2003 marks the 10th anniversary of the successful launch of its ProStar® brand of premium quality products initially designed for the metal fabrication industry. The private brand represents products made by top-name manufacturers, carefully selected by Praxair for quality, reliability and value.

“We started with a short list of safety goggles and lenses, power cable and wire for gas metal arc welding (GMAW or MIG) applications, and expanded to a wide range of products including other filler metals, gas apparatus, safety equipment and welding consumables and accessories,” said Dave Wilson, Director of Industrial Hardgoods for Praxair Distribution, Inc., a subsidiary of Praxair, Inc. “Metal fabricators have learned through experience that they can rely on ProStar brand products to meet their rigorous requirements and deliver the value they demand.”

The ProStar brand product line is developed to complement Praxair’s complete offering of advanced, high-quality gases and blends for welding and cutting applications. “This combination is critical to our leading position as a total solutions, service-based supplier, providing our customers with the most options for maximum performance, quality and value,” Wilson explained. “It’s a clear advantage to our customers who have seen  remarkable results in areas such as robotic and automatic welding with Praxair’s RoboStar® shielding gases and ProStar twist-free robotic welding wire.”

While the value-packed, high-performance, twist-free robotic wire and complete welding and cutting outfits are the top two favorites, other popular ProStar products include:

• A full range of wires, electrodes and rods for the welding of carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum and other alloys. 
• Brazing and soldering alloys and fluxes
• Cutting tips, welding torches and consumables
• Welding helmets, head gear and face shields
• Protective clothing and other safety products 
• Regulator flowmeters, gauges and gas hoses
• Welding cables, electrode holders and ground clamps
• Anti-spatter chemicals

Praxair Distribution, Inc. and its subsidiaries and distributors deliver a large array of industrial and specialty gases, equipment and supplies, technical expertise, and services to thousands of customers in the United States and Canada. With hundreds of locations throughout North America, Praxair provides differentiated product and service offerings that help customers achieve their objectives faster, better and at lower total cost. For more information on Praxair's offerings to the metal fabrication industry, visit www.praxair.com/metalfab.

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.