Praxair, Linde deal back on
By HME News Staff
Updated Wed May 10, 2017
DANBURY, Conn., and MUNICH - Praxair has agreed to buy Linde for about $35.2 billion, creating the largest supplier of industrial gases, according to Bloomberg. The news comes three months after a previous attempt failed due to concerns over job losses in Germany. Praxair won over Linde's board by agreeing to keep operations in Munich and preserve jobs, according to the news agency. Shares of Praxair will be converted one for one into stock in a new company that will begin an offer to buy Linde, in what the companies call a “merger of equals.” By combining the two companies, Praxair and Linde expect to save about $1 billion, Bloomberg reported. A big question for HME providers: What impact the deal will have, if any, on the industry. In August 2012, Linde made a big splash in HME when it acquired Lincare for $4.6 billion. In December 2015, Lincare announced it would acquire American HomePatient, consolidating two of the four national HME providers.
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