Company Description
Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE: APD), commonly referred to as Air Products, is a world‑leading industrial gases company that has been in operation for over 80 years. The company focuses on serving energy, environmental and emerging markets and states that it is dedicated to generating a cleaner future. According to its public disclosures, Air Products supplies essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, and operates in approximately 50 countries.
Air Products is identified as the leading global supplier of hydrogen and a major participant in the industrial gas manufacturing sector. The company reports that it develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world’s largest clean hydrogen projects. These projects are intended to support the transition to low‑ and zero‑carbon energy in industrial applications and heavy‑duty transportation. In addition to gases, Air Products, through its sale of equipment businesses, provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers to customers worldwide.
Core industrial gases business
In its public communications, Air Products emphasizes its traditional core industrial gases business. The company supplies industrial gases and applications expertise to customers in industries such as refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical and food. It also highlights its merchant and onsite businesses as important parts of its industrial gases activities. The company’s disclosures describe a focus on productivity, pricing, operational excellence and disciplined capital allocation within this core business.
Air Products reports that it has refocused on its traditional industrial gases business and core competencies. Company communications describe this as a strategic change intended to help navigate an evolving business landscape, serve a global customer base and support long‑term value creation. The company also notes that it has taken steps to cancel, descope and reduce risk in certain energy transition projects, while concentrating on those projects where it intends to secure strong customer commitments.
Hydrogen and clean energy projects
Air Products describes itself as the leading global supplier of hydrogen and highlights a portfolio of large clean hydrogen projects. The company states that it develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world’s largest clean hydrogen projects. These projects are positioned to support low‑ and zero‑carbon energy use in industrial sectors and heavy‑duty transportation. In its communications, Air Products links these activities to broader goals of supporting energy transition and environmental objectives.
The company has also disclosed low‑emission ammonia projects that connect its low‑emission hydrogen capabilities with ammonia production and distribution networks. For example, Air Products has described development of a large low‑carbon energy complex in Louisiana designed to produce low‑carbon hydrogen and capture a high percentage of the carbon dioxide generated during normal operation. It has also referenced participation in the NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia, where it is the sole offtaker of renewable ammonia from a large‑scale project.
Geographic footprint and scale
Air Products reports operations in approximately 50 countries. Its public materials state that the company serves customers in dozens of industries and maintains a global industrial gases footprint. The company has indicated that it has been supplying the food industry with gases, equipment and technology for over 60 years, and that it supports the lithium‑ion battery supply chain with high‑purity and high‑quality gases and related technologies. These disclosures illustrate the breadth of its industrial gases applications across different sectors.
In its recent communications, Air Products has reported fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025 sales of around $12 billion and has referenced a market capitalization figure. Because these financial metrics change over time, they are best understood as historical context rather than permanent characteristics of the company. The more durable attributes are its role in industrial gas manufacturing, its stated position as a leading hydrogen supplier and its presence across multiple industries and regions.
Equipment and technology offerings
Through its sale of equipment businesses, Air Products states that it provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally. The company also highlights applications technologies, equipment and services that support specific end markets. For example, it has described offerings for the lithium‑ion battery industry, including high‑purity and high‑quality gases such as nitrogen, helium, oxygen, argon, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, supported by an extensive gas supply network.
In the food sector, Air Products promotes its Freshline branded food freezing and chilling solutions. Public materials describe Freshline systems that use liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide to support processes such as food freezing and chilling, with the goal of achieving rapid temperature reduction and preserving product quality. The company also notes that it operates a food and grinding lab where customers can test products on production‑scale equipment to evaluate the feasibility and cost of using cryogenic technology in their processes.
Corporate governance and shareholder communications
Air Products is a New York Stock Exchange‑listed company under the symbol APD. Its definitive proxy statement describes an active Board of Directors and ongoing corporate governance processes, including annual meetings of shareholders, advisory votes on executive compensation and ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm. The company has reported a refresh of its Board, with new directors bringing experience in executive leadership, corporate governance, industry, legal and finance roles.
The company regularly communicates with investors through earnings teleconferences, investor presentations and regulatory filings. It issues press releases on quarterly and annual financial results, dividend declarations, leadership changes and major project or partnership announcements. These communications are often accompanied by conference calls and webcasts that provide additional detail on performance and strategy.
Strategic focus and outlook (as described by the company)
In letters to shareholders included in its proxy materials, Air Products’ Board and management describe a strategy centered on its core industrial gases business, with an emphasis on merchant and onsite activities. They also discuss efforts to optimize large clean energy projects while maintaining capital discipline. The company’s communications reference goals such as improving adjusted operating margin and adjusted return on capital, and returning cash to shareholders through dividends and potential share repurchases, while acknowledging that these objectives are subject to risks and uncertainties outlined in its cautionary statements.
Air Products’ public statements present a picture of a long‑established industrial gases company with a global footprint, a significant presence in hydrogen and clean energy projects, and a broad set of applications across industries including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, medical, food and batteries. Investors and analysts typically look to the company’s SEC filings, earnings releases and investor presentations for detailed, time‑sensitive information on its financial performance and specific projects.