Specialty gas supplier Air Liquide has announced that over the course of the past few weeks, it has signed long-term gas supply contracts worth in the region of US$15 million. The company credits the reduction in manufacturing costs and the subsequent move by smaller companies to move into high growth markets as having contributed to the significant increase in orders experienced by the company.
The company has signed contracts with Stion for the supply of electronic gases and related equipment for its new manufacturing facility in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The value and volume of these contracts were not disclosed.
Air Liquide signed up to a partnership arrangement with MedZ that will see the former support the latter’s local manufacturing of silicon thin-film technologies in Morocco, which has outlined its national aim of reaching several gigawatts of installed solar power over the next few years.
Asia-based companies have also been showing increased interest in the company, including China, where the company’s existing customer base has been growing of late to include a company that is said to be the largest silicon thin-film manufacturer in the south China region. This unnamed company has ordered a high volume of specialty gases, precursors and associated equipment and installation services.
In India, Air Liquide will supply high-volume carrier gases to a polysilicon and wafering company, while a company described as one of the world’s leading solar cell makers has tapped Air Liquide for gas supply at its new fab in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
First Solar broke ground on its new thin-film PV module manufacturing plant in Ho Chi Minh City only a few months ago.
