French industrial gases company Air Liquide will close its Longmont facility as it divests U.S. assets following its acquisition of North American rival Airgas in May.
The plant, at 500 and 650 Weaver Park Road, fills cylinders of specialty gases that are used in a range of industries, including manufacturing, food production, and health care.
It will close Oct. 1. Twenty-two people are employed there.
In a provided statement, Air Liquide officials said: “As a result of Air Liquide’s acquisition of Airgas, many of Air Liquide’s sites and business operations will be integrated into Airgas. The Longmont cylinder fill plant is an Air Liquide site that will be integrated.”
“Affected employees have been offered positions within Airgas and we are ensuring, thanks to Airgas’ extensive footprint in the U.S., that this closure will be seamless for our customers.”
Air Liquide completed the $13.4 billion acquisition of Airgas on May 23, becoming the world’s largest industrial gas group. The combined business will generate more than $22 billion in annual revenue, with a global workforce of 68,0000.
As part of the deal, both operations had to divest more than two dozen facilities that produce and supply seven types of industrial gas: oxygen, nitrogen, argon, nitrous oxide, liquid carbon dioxide, dry ice, and packaged welding gases.
A Japanese firm, Matheson Tri-Gas, purchased several of the facilities in late June.
Richard Hay, a former employee at the Longmont plant, said the operation had been in town for 20 years under “a number of different ownerships.”
It’s not clear when Air Liquide took over the plant.
