Linde awarded certification for supply of calibration gases in China

Munich - Linde Gases, a division of The Linde Group, today announced it has been granted important GBW certification by the Chinese State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision, approving Linde’s production of gas reference materials from its plant in Suzhou, Jiangsu province in eastern China.

GBW is the official Chinese quality standards institute and their accreditation is a requirement for gas production facilities wishing to supply specialty calibration gas mixtures to both domestic and foreign-owned companies operating in China. This requirement is above and beyond any other ISO standards which may have been awarded, including those ISO standards for metrology. The plant will produce Linde’s HiQ® high purity gases as well as HiQ® gas mixtures for the calibration of measurement instrumentation for environmental monitoring purposes, including the detection and control of combustion emissions for power generation, and will enable Linde to better support the growing emphasis being placed by China on tackling its CO2 emissions.

“There is increased importance on pollution control, sustainability and regulatory requirements by the Chinese government and this has substantially increased domestic demand for certified calibration gases,” said Zhu Min, Special Gases Business Manager, Linde China. “Linde’s Suzhou production facility will now make a valuable contribution to this.”

To achieve the GBW certification, Linde made significant investment in plant operations through the appointment of both Chinese and expatriate scientists, engineers and other technical specialists, installation of best of breed laboratories and state-of-the-art gas filling facilities. Additionally, a specialised weighing device called a mass comparator was installed, capable of measuring the mass of a gas cylinder (approximately up to 401KG) with a resolution of 0.002g and repeatable to within 0.003g. To draw an analogy, this level of accuracy in measurement is the equivalent of a normal bathroom scales being able to determine if someone is holding a piece of paper or not.

“Previously customers had limited options when sourcing measurement standards that met both Chinese and international standards. Now they can reliably purchase from a reputable global manufacturer known for its production quality and highest available consistency across its specialty gases ranges,” said Stephen Harrison, Global Head of Specialty Gases and Specialty Equipment, Linde. “We are delighted that the Chinese authorities have formally recognised our efforts by awarding us the GBW certification.”


About HiQ®
The HiQ® specialty gases product range from Linde supplies high purity gases, gas mixtures, precision engineered equipment and gas distribution systems, and services and support, to a wide range of industries employing specialty gases applications. It encompasses, but is not limited to, REDLINE® specialty gases equipment and BASELINE® specialty gases regulators, SPECTRA-SEAL® calibration gas mixtures, ECOCYL® portable specialty gases solutions and VERISEQ® pharmaceutical grade gases. HiQ® represents Linde’s commitment to the highest available quality and global consistency across gases, equipment and services. To learn more, go to http://hiq.linde-gas.com


About The Linde Group
The Linde Gases Division, part of the Linde Group, is a leader in the international industrial and healthcare gases markets, providing compressed, bulk, specialty and medical gases, as well as chemicals to virtually all fields of industry globally. The company adds value to its customers’ businesses through the provision of state-of-the-art application technology, process know-how, services and equipment.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 50,000 employees working in over 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards earnings-based and sustainable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.

Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

In Greater China, Linde is headquartered in Shanghai and has around 50 wholly-owned companies and joint ventures, and more than 150 operational plants in major industrial hubs across the country, with around 2,600 employees. In 2008, Linde in Greater China achieved sales of EUR 420 million, a 28 percent increase from the year before.

For more information, see The Linde Group web site at www.linde.com