Carbagas

What Carbagas does

Carbagas AG is a Swiss industrial and medical gas supplier headquartered in Gümligen, Switzerland, operating since 1893 (originally as Kohlensäurefabrik Bern A.G.) and currently positioned as the Swiss market subsidiary of Air Liquide. The company supplies industrial gases (argon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, CO2, acetylene), specialty mixtures, food-grade gases, pharmaceutical gases, and medical gases to over 53,000 customers across Switzerland, served through 70 sales points, a regional dealer network, 30 km of pipeline infrastructure, and an online ordering portal (myGAS). Its portfolio is organized around five core branded gas families — ALIGAL (food-grade), ALPHAGAZ (high-purity/calibration), ARCAL (welding shielding gases including Prime, Force, Chrome, and Speed variants), LASAL (laser gases), and PHARGALIS (pharmaceutical gases) — supported by packaging innovation (EXELTOP cylinder with integrated regulator) and technology solutions including Eco Chiller (cryogenic heat recovery), Eco Origin (CO2-reduced gases), Kryokondensation (VOC abatement), and Nexelia (ozone treatment). The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 17025, ISO 22000 / FSSC 22000, and ISO 14067 certifications across its operations.

Core operations revolve around air separation, cryogenic liquefaction, gas mixing, and gas-handling technology, with delivery forms spanning single cylinders, cylinder bundles, liquid tank supply, and on-site generation. The business model combines recurring industrial and specialty gas supply contracts, usage-based or fixed-fee cylinder rental (EcoPass), equipment sales and rental (regulators, valves, Floxal compressed air systems), and professional services including welding process analysis (UHCW), cylinder tracking (Servitrax), and digital services (e-invoicing, e-delivery notes). The go-to-market motion is multi-channel: enterprise field sales for large industrial accounts in steel, chemical, automotive, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, and food sectors; a dealer network for SMEs and craftsmen; and a self-service online portal for mid-market and SMB customers. Pricing is predominantly quote-based, structured around multi-year supply agreements, with regional delivery surcharges (CHF 54–208) by distance radius and online standard pricing for catalog products.

Name

Carbagas

Legal name

Carbagas AG

Website

https://carbagas.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Carbagas AG is the Swiss subsidiary of Air Liquide and the country's leading supplier of industrial, medical, food-grade, and specialty gases, serving over 53,000 customers through 70 sales points, pipeline infrastructure, and a digital ordering portal under branded gas families including ALIGAL, ARCAL, and PHARGALIS.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Gas Supply

NAICS

Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512)

SIC

Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160)

akta.pro primary industry

Gas Handling Equipment & Storage (Cylinders/Tanks/Valves) (IMAEACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food & Beverage Gases (Carbonation/Freezing/Packaging) (IMAEACAI), Industrial Gases (Compressed/Cryogenic) Bulk Transport (TLADALAE), Industrial Gases Logistics (Compressed/Cryogenic; Class 2) (TLAIAJAH)

Keywords

• Industrial gas supply
• Medical gas distribution
• Welding shielding gases
• Food-grade gases
• Cryogenic gas solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Gümligen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Industrial Gases Sales: Sale of industrial gases including argon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, CO2, acetylene in various purity grades and delivery forms (cylinders, bundles, tanks).
2. Specialty/Mixed Gases: Custom gas mixtures for specific applications including welding, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and analytical uses.
3. Cylinder Rental: Rental model for gas cylinders with usage-based billing (per day), EcoPass fixed-fee contracts for larger customers, and rental deposits.
4. Equipment & Accessories: Sale and rental of gas handling equipment including regulators, valves, gas supply systems, and specialized equipment like Floxal air systems.
5. Services: Additional services including safety training, welding process analysis (UHCW), cylinder tracking (Servitrax), delivery and installation, and consulting.
6. ECO ORIGIN Sustainable Gases: Premium CO2-reduced gases produced with renewable energy, offered as upgrade to standard products with additional certification and reporting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Carbagas supplies industrial, medical, food-grade, and specialty gases in Switzerland under branded portfolios (ALIGAL, ALPHAGAZ, ARCAL, LASAL, PHARGALIS) via cylinders, bundles, bulk tanks, and on-site generation. The company also delivers related gas-handling equipment, digital services (online ordering, e-invoicing, electronic delivery notes, cylinder tracking), and technology solutions such as Eco Chiller, Eco Origin, Kryokondensation, and welding process analysis.

Product overview

Carbagas (a Swiss subsidiary of Air Liquide) operates as a full-line industrial and medical gas supplier with a portfolio organized around branded gas families, industrial gases, digital services, and technology solutions. The core offering centers on five branded gas families: ALIGAL™ (food-grade gases), ALPHAGAZ™ (high-purity and calibration gases), ARCAL™ (welding shielding gases including ARCAL Prime, ARCAL Force, ARCAL Chrome, and ARCAL Speed), LASAL™ (laser gases), and PHARGALIS™ (pharmaceutical gases). Under these brands, individual gases include acetylene, argon, helium, CO2, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and dry ice. These are delivered through multiple supply formats (single cylinders, cylinder bundles, liquid tanks, on-site generation) using the Exeltop™ cylinder system with integrated regulator. Beyond gases, Carbagas provides digital services (online ordering portal, electronic invoicing, digital delivery notes, Servitrax™ cylinder tracking), technology solutions (Eco Chiller for heat recovery, Eco Origin for CO2-reduced gases, Kryokondensation for VOC abatement, Nexelia for ozone treatment, UHCW welding process analysis), and equipment (Floxal™ compressed air systems, valves, gas supply systems). The Mixture Guide online tool helps customers select gas mixtures for analytical applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ALIGAL: Brand gases for food and beverage industry
• ALPHAGAZ
• ARCAL
• LASAL
• PHARGALIS
• EXELTOP
• Eco Origin
• Eco Chiller
• Nexelia
• ALASKA
• Floxal
• Servitrax
• Qlixbi

Products and services

• Industrial and Specialty Gas Portfolio (Acetylene, Argon, Helium, CO2, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Dry Ice) Industrial gases including acetylene (welding, cutting, brazing), argon (welding shielding, food packaging, heat treatment, cryogenics), helium (balloons, cryogenics, welding, chromatography), carbon dioxide (carbonization, MAP packaging, welding, cooling), oxygen (combustion, medical, water treatment, fermentation), nitrogen (inerting, food packaging, cooling, cryogenics), hydrogen (mobility, ammonia, electronics, petrochemical), and dry ice (cold chain, food cooling, dry ice blasting, cryogenics), supplied to industrial, healthcare, food, and research customers in Switzerland.
• ALIGAL Food-Grade Gases Food-grade gases for the food and beverage industry, including ALIGAL 2 (CO2 / E290), used in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), carbonization, beverage dispensing, and food preservation with HACCP and FSSC 22000 (ISO 22000) compliance; extends shelf life by 2-5x versus normal atmosphere packaging.
• ALPHAGAZ High-Purity and Calibration Gases High-purity specialty gases and calibration gases for analytical, laboratory, and research applications, supplied with analysis and calibration certificates from an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory.
• ARCAL Welding Shielding Gases Premium welding shielding gases for MAG, MIG, TIG, and laser welding, including ARCAL Prime, ARCAL Force (Ar + 18% CO2 for carbon steels), ARCAL Speed (Ar + 8% CO2 for high-speed automated welding), and ARCAL Chrome (Ar + 2% CO2 for stainless steels), compliant with DIN EN ISO 14175.
• LASAL Laser Gases Specialty gas mixtures tailored for laser cutting and laser welding applications.
• PHARGALIS Pharmaceutical Gases Pharmaceutical gases (nitrogen, argon) for inerting, process cooling, and lyophilization in pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications, supplied under strict quality and traceability regimes.
• Eco Chiller Cryogenic Heat-Recovery System Automated heat exchanger system that uses cryogenic liquefied gases (liquid nitrogen, oxygen, argon, or CO2) to cool return coolant in industrial refrigeration circuits, converting latent heat of vaporization into usable cooling, reducing compressor load, energy costs, and CO2 emissions; supports ISO 14001, ISO 50001, and DIN EN 16427 customer certifications.
• Eco Origin CO2-Reduced Industrial Gases CO2-reduced liquid nitrogen, oxygen, and argon produced using 100% renewable electricity, with cradle-to-gate Product Carbon Footprint certification under ISO 14067/14020/14021 to support customer sustainability reporting and PCF targets.
• Kryokondensation (Cryocondensation) Exhaust Air Purification Cryocondensation VOC abatement technology using liquid nitrogen (boiling point -196°C) to condense volatile organic compounds from industrial off-gas streams, enabling TA-Luft compliance and reuse of nitrogen for inerting; supplied as a plug-and-play Package-Unit for 30–1,000 m3/h flow rates.
• Nexelia Ozone Treatment for Cooling and Freezing Ozone treatment solution for water and air purification in industrial cooling and freezing applications.
• UHCW (Unlocking Hidden Cost of Welding) Welding Analysis Service Welding process analysis service that identifies hidden costs in welding operations and recommends optimization strategies to improve productivity and reduce costs.
• EXELTOP Cylinder System with Integrated Pressure Regulator Advanced gas cylinder with integrated pressure regulator from Air Liquide that provides constant gas flow and eliminates the need for a separate external regulator; available in 300-bar variants for shielding gases and other welding gases.
• Floxal Compressed Air Systems Floxal compressed air supply systems for industrial production, available as drive air, control air, instrument air, and process air configurations.
• Valves and Gas Supply Systems Pressure regulators, manifolds, and pipeline gas supply systems for industrial gas distribution.
• myGAS Customer Portal (Self-Service Ordering Platform) Online self-service portal for registered customers to order gases and equipment, manage invoices, access electronic delivery notes, track orders, handle cylinder returns, and store favorites.
• Mixture Guide Online Gas Selection Tool Online gas-mixture advisor that helps analytical and laboratory customers identify the correct gas mixture and associated equipment for their specific application.
• Servitrax Cylinder Tracking System Gas cylinder tracking system with barcode technology that enables real-time visibility and management of cylinder inventory throughout the supply chain.

Quantifiable outcome

• Extended shelf life 2-5x with CO2 in MAP packaging compared to normal atmosphere packaging
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Air LiquideflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbagas is a wholly-owned Swiss subsidiary of Air Liquide, a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health. Air Liquide serves approximately 4 million customers and patients in 60 countries with around 66,500 employees. Carbagas operates as the Swiss market leader in industrial and medical gases under the Air Liquide brand, leveraging Air Liquide's global technology leadership, R&D capabilities, and product portfolio including ARCAL welding gases, ALIGAL food gases, ALPHAGAZ high-purity gases, LASAL laser gases, and PHARGALIS pharmaceutical gases.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Linde plc: Global #1 industrial gases company, formed by the 2018 merger of Linde AG and Praxair. Directly competes with Carbagas in welding, food, pharma, and electronics gases across Europe, including Switzerland, with overlapping product families and cylinder/bulk supply models.
• Air Products and Chemicals: Global #2 industrial gas player (after Linde) with European operations, competing head-to-head with Carbagas/Air Liquide in hydrogen, helium, and bulk atmospheric gases for industrial, healthcare, and electronics customers.
• Messer Group: Privately-held global industrial gas company (4th largest worldwide) and the largest competitor to Air Liquide in DACH-region markets. Operates branded welding, food, and medical gas portfolios analogous to Carbagas' ARCAL/ALIGAL/PHARGALIS lines, with direct overlap in Switzerland and Germany.
• SOL Group: Italian-headquartered industrial and medical gas company with European footprint. Comparable in size and business model to Carbagas, with similar focus on cylinder distribution, on-site supply, and home healthcare gases — directly overlapping in product range and customer verticals.
• Nippon Gases Europe: European industrial and medical gas supplier owned by Nippon Sanso Holdings. Competes in welding, food, electronics, and healthcare gases across Western Europe, with similar cylinder/bulk/on-site supply models and customer segmentation.
• Westfalen AG: Family-owned German industrial gas and fuel distribution company, strong in DACH region. Directly comparable in scale, product breadth, and business model to Carbagas, with a focus on cylinder/bulk supply, food and pharma gases, and technical applications.
• Iwatani Corporation: Japan's largest industrial gas and hydrogen player, with European operations. Comparable to Carbagas in industrial/specialty gas supply and shares Carbagas/Air Liquide's interest in hydrogen mobility as a growth vector.

Regional players

• Pangas (Linde Pakistan / local JV): Regional industrial gas supplier in Pakistan affiliated with global majors; included as a representative regional/emerging-market industrial gas player to illustrate competitive dynamics in non-European geographies adjacent to Carbagas' parent group.
• Yingde Gases Group: China's largest independent industrial gas company, focused on on-site supply to Chinese steel, chemical, and electronics customers. Relevant as a scale benchmark and emerging-market peer for bulk/on-site business models.

Emerging players

• Hangzhou Hangyang: Chinese industrial gas and air separation equipment manufacturer. Relevant as an emerging competitor in air separation technology and an alternative supply source for industrial customers in Asia, providing a competitive benchmark for Carbagas' technology stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carbagasag

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carbagas