Linde merged with Praxair in 2018 to create Linde plc.
The transaction was structured as an all-stock merger of equals and completed in October 2018. The resulting company used the Linde name and became one of the world’s largest industrial-gas businesses. It supplies gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and helium to sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and food production.
Linde and Praxair had complementary geographic strengths. Linde was historically based in Germany and had a broad international presence, while Praxair had especially strong operations in the United States and the Americas. The combination required divestitures to satisfy competition regulators.
This was a merger rather than a simple cash acquisition, although business references often describe it informally as Linde buying Praxair. It is also separate from Linde’s earlier merger with the UK-based BOC Group, completed in 2006.