(Archived) Praxair Awarded Ten-Year Contract by NEC Electronics America for Bulk Gases and Onsite Services

DANBURY, CT, August 30, 2006 — Praxair Electronics, a division of Praxair Inc., (NYSE:PX), based in Orangeburg, NY, has been awarded a ten-year contract by NEC Electronics America, Inc., a leading provider of semiconductor products in the Americas, to provide bulk gases and onsite services to the company's manufacturing facility in Roseville, California.

Praxair has been supplying semiconductor process gases, gas handling equipment, sputtering targets and services for on-site distribution and management of chemicals and bulk and process gases to NEC Electronics America's manufacturing facility in Roseville for 22 years, since the facility opened in 1984. In addition, Praxair has provided NEC Electronics America with integrated supply chain management services for commodity and direct-sourced parts. The new contract covers supply to NEC Electronics America's existing six-inch wafer fab, as well as to the planned eight-inch line that will be used to produce next-generation semiconductor devices primarily for the automotive industry.

"Praxair has been a supplier and partner to NEC Electronics America for many years, providing high-quality products and services. We are confident in Praxair's capabilities as a world-class supplier and in its commitment to quality and safety," said Gabe Kim, vice president, manufacturing operations, NEC Electronics America.

"We are proud to have been chosen to continue supplying gases and services to NEC Electronics America to meet its expansion needs in Roseville," said Ray Roberge, president, Praxair Electronics. "We value the depth and quality of this relationship and appreciate NEC Electronics America's vote of confidence in Praxair Electronics."

About Praxair Electronics
Praxair Electronics provides the global semiconductor industry with process consumables, including a full line of gases and materials, sputtering targets and CMP consumables' on-site services, chamber components including electrostatic chucks, and spare-parts logistics services. In 2005, Praxair's sales to the global electronics industry were $510 million. More information on Praxair Electronics is available on the Internet at www.praxair.com/electronics.

About Praxair
Praxair is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2005 sales of $7.7 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty 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.