Messer, CVC Fund VII acquire assets in the Americas from Linde

Industrial gases provider Messer and CVC Capital Partners Fund VII have concluded an agreement with Linde AG to acquire the majority of Linde’s gases business in North America and certain business activities in South America, involving 5,100 employees. The move would greatly increase the size of Messer, a family-owned company based in Germany, and create another major industrial gas player in the U.S.

The transaction is subject to the completion of the planned merger of the two industrial gases firms, Praxair and Linde, and approval by relevant authorities.

The joint venture between Messer and CVC Fund VII will be named MG Industries and will operate under the Messer brand. As part of the transaction, Messer will contribute its Western European operating companies into MG Industries. These operations in Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Benelux, Denmark, and Germany employ 780 people.