Airgas Inc., the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases, and welding and safety-related products, last week posted growth in quarterly net earnings of $62.9 million for its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with $56.8 million for the same period a year ago, a 10.7 percent increase.
Airgas is the parent company of Red-D-Arc Welderentals, No. 27 on the RER 100.
“Our strategic products, which have favourable long-term growth profiles and represent about 40 percent of sales, posted 4 percent organic growth in the quarter,” said Airgas chairman and CEO Peter McCausland. “The second half of the quarter was characterized by widespread slowing across most of our customer segments.”