Present in 75 countries, Air Liquide is the world leader in industrial and medical gases and related services with 40,000 employees, and has been operating in Japan for more than 100 years. Japan Air Gases Co, established in Jan 2003 with an industrial- and medical-gas business integration between Japan Air Liquide (founded in 1907) and Osaka Sanso Kogyo (in 1934), became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air Liquide in Mar 2007. In Sept 2007, Japan Air Gases and Japan Air Liquide merged to newly form Japan Air Liquide and introduced “internal company system” at the same time to clarify continuation and individuality of its gas & service businesses and plant engineering operations conducted theretofore separately by the former two companies. In other words, “Japan Air Gases,” as its internal company of Japan Air Liquide, has undertaken the gas & service operations carried out until then by Japan Air Gases, whereas “Air Liquide Engineering” has taken on plant engineering operations.