(Archived) Praxair and Liburdi Automation Sign Joint Marketing Agreement

DANBURY, Conn., November 15, 2005 — Praxair, Inc., (NYSE: PX) today announced that its packaged gases subsidiary, Praxair Distribution, Inc. has signed a joint marketing agreement with Liburdi Automation Inc. of Dundas, Ontario, Canada, and its subsidiary Liburdi Dimetrics Corporation, in Davidson, N.C.

Under the agreement Praxair will act as a distributor for Liburdi equipment worldwide and instruct Liburdi personnel in welding gas applications. Liburdi will recommend Praxair gases and other consumables for its equipment sales, as well as train Praxair productivity specialists in the use of its advanced laser, plasma and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) systems.

"Praxair and Liburdi engineers, marketing and productivity specialists will work together to take full advantage of the growing demands of metal fabricators for higher quality welding, faster welding speeds and reduced costs of operation," said Janet Coffman, vice president of business development for Praxair Distribution. "One important focus of our joint efforts will be on the restoration of petrochemical refinery capacity in the United States damaged by recent hurricanes and on the growth requirements of electric power generation facilities in North America and developing countries."

"The alliance of Praxair and Liburdi brings together two of the strongest teams in the industry," said Joe Liburdi, president of Liburdi Automation. "The combined applications knowledge will allow both partners to provide an even greater level of customer service and provide solutions for a wide range of welding and consumable needs."

Liburdi is a leader in precision welding equipment with brands such as the LAWS^® automated robots, Pulsweld^® power supplies, Dimetrics^® orbital heads and systems, Hobart^® advanced welding, and Merrick Weldline^® industrial solutions. For more information, visit Liburdi on the Internet at www.liburdi.com.

Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2004 sales of $6.6 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