(Archived) Praxair Installs New Coldfront Ultra Performance Freezer At DESCO

DANBURY, Conn., February 6, 2004 — Praxair, Inc. (NYSE:PX) announced today that it has installed and completed start up operations of its new ultra performance cryogenic spiral freezer at DESCO, Inc in Boisbriand, Quebec, Canada. The patented freezer technology benefits customers by extracting more cooling power from the cryogen by capturing more of the refrigeration potential available in the cryogenic vapor. At DESCO the results have shown up to 30% more production in the same equipment footprint when compared to existing cryogenic spiral systems.

“We recognized the opportunity to increase productivity, reduce product yield loss and lower overall labor costs with the new Praxair freezing technology,” says Guy Chevalier, DESCO president. “Praxair’s freezing experts demonstrated the technology in Praxair’s food technologies laboratory for us during last year’s AMI show in Chicago. To meet our production goals, the Praxair® ColdFront™ ultra performance system was a technology offering that we decided to consider.”

“We were excited to be able to present the ColdFront ultra performance concept to DESCO,” added Praxair’s Talaat Girgis, national food technology and marketing manager. “DESCO produces high quality deli products and further processed poultry products and, like many of our customers, understands the value of rapid cryogenic freezing to preserve product quality. Productivity and yield gains achievable with all of our ColdFront refrigeration products deliver the results customers need.”

Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2003 sales of $5.6 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.