DuPont Wins Counterfeit Case

January 21, 2013

WILMINGTON, Del. — DuPont Refrigerants recently finished a two-year effort to investigate counterfeit activity of DuPont refrigerant brands in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China.

In 2009, a distributor alerted DuPont to potential counterfeiting of DuPont Suva and DuPont Freon brands. The information they provided led Dupont to suspect counterfeiting activity of Quzhouzhou Fuming Co. Ltd., in Quzhou City. With assistance from a local law firm, DuPont requested that local authorities conduct a raid of the suspected counterfeit facility. A raid action in late September 2011 resulted in the seizure of 1,500 empty refrigerant cylinders with DuPont Suva and Freon packaging, 1,000 counterfeit labels, and 1,000 counterfeit DuPont Freon R-22 cylinders.

After the raid, DuPont issued cease-and-desist letters, however, the company did not respond to the request and continued to sell the counterfeit refrigerants. In response, DuPont filed legal action against those responsible.
A court case was undertaken in China and a judicial settlement was reached in August 2012. The defendant was required to pay the equivalent of $39,400 to the Chinese government and $32,000 in damages and court costs to DuPont. The company is under a permanent injunction to not sell DuPont refrigerants or engage in counterfeit activities involving DuPont trademarks going forward. As part of the sentence, the judge also required the company to post a formal public apology in two Chinese newspapers.

“We will continue to combat counterfeiting of DuPont refrigerants, using assistance from local law enforcement, government officials, and customs organizations,” said Greg Rubin, DuPont global business manager. “This effort is ongoing and this case was an excellent example of cross-regional work between DuPont and our distributors. This is a collaborative effort. We can’t combat counterfeiting alone.”

Publication date: 1/21/2013 AHRI THE NEWS

A-GAS INTERNATIONAL EXPANDS ITS PRESENCE IN AMERICA

LEADING REFRIGERANTS SUPPLIER A-GAS INTERNATIONAL COMPLETES STRATEGIC ACQUISITION OF KEY INDEPENDENT US REFRIGERANTS SUPPLIER AND DISTRIBUTOR, COOLGAS

Bristol-based A-Gas International (or“the Group”), one of the world’s largest independent suppliers of refrigerants, associated environmental services, and speciality gases and chemicals, has completed the acquisition of Houston, Texas based Coolgas Inc. (“Coolgas”), a leading independent supplier and distributor of refrigerants to the US market. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The transaction represents the fifth strategic acquisition completed by A-Gas so far in 2012, and forms part of the Group’s acquisitive growth strategy which is being executed both in the UK and internationally. The enlarged group will have a turnover of c. £130m and 237 employees.

Founded in 1994 by Jesse Combs, Coolgas has grown over the past 18 years to become one of the leading independent distributors of refrigerants in the US. Coolgas’ “refrigerants made simple” philosophy reflects the focus on customer service that has enabled it to grow first to a regional and then to a national player. Coolgas has recently commissioned a new refrigerant storage and packaging facility in Houston and has distribution centres in California, Utah, Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland and Georgia ensuring that Coolgas is close to its customers wherever they are located.

In recent years Coolgas has also become an EPA registered reclaimer of refrigerants and a project developer for the generation of carbon offsets on the California Climate Action Reserve exchange. These capabilities enable Coolgas to manage the lifecycle of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and substances with high Global Warming Potential (GWP) to safeguard the environment.

The acquisition builds on A-Gas’acquisition of Ohio based refrigerant reclaimer and halocarbon management specialist RemTec International in July 2012. Coolgas provides a strong strategic fit, bringing a strong brand and complementary footprint that will accelerate refrigerants sales growth. Further the reclaim and carbon credits businesses extend A-Gas’ existing operations in the US Environmental Services market which is already well established in the UK and Europe.

The acquisition of Coolgas follows on from the successful acquisitions not only of RemTec International in July 2012 but also of Australian based Technochem in March 2012 and SA Rural in May 2012, and UK based A-Zone Technologies in April 2012.

Commenting on the acquisition:

John Rutley, Executive Chairman and founder of A-Gas International said:
Jesse Combs and his management team have built a great business in the US refrigerant sector and we are delighted to add it to our rapidly expanding presence in this important market. The fit with our recently acquired business, RemTec, is perfect and allows us to offer a full range of products and services to our customers in the world’s largest refrigerant market.

Jon Masters, Regional Managing Director of A-Gas International said:

The acquisition of Coolgas will significantly strengthen our position as the leading independent global supplier of refrigerants at a time when regulatory changes are providing increasing opportunities for reclamation and recycling of used refrigerants using our market leading technology developed in the UK. We look forward to supporting the Coolgas management team and workforce in continuing to provide outstanding service to its customers.

Jesse Combs, CEO of Coolgas said:

I feel honoured that A-Gas saw Coolgas as a strategic fit and entry point into the US refrigerants’ distribution business. Our team of professionals have a customer service mind-set that I believe sets Coolgas apart from the rest of the industry. I have the upmost confidence that the A-Gas team will support and grow upon our "refrigerants made simple" philosophy for many years to come.

About A-Gas International

A-Gas is an international group of companies with headquarters in Bristol, UK. A-Gas is a market leader in the supply of refrigerants within its core territories in the U.K., South Africa, and Australia, and has state of the art storage, blending, packaging and reclamation facilities in Bristol, Cape Town, and Melbourne. The company also has marketing and distribution centres in Singapore, Thailand, China and Mexico. In the US, A-Gas has a Performance Chemicals business located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania; RemTec International, a refrigerant reclaimer and halocarbon management specialist located in Bowling Green, Ohio; and now Coolgas, headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.agas.com

About Coolgas

Coolgas Inc. was started in 1994 as a distributor of refrigerant gases. Through a continual focus on customer service embodied by its “refrigerants made simple” philosophy it has gained customers across the United States and grown to become one of the leading independent distributors of refrigerants. Coolgas supplies a full product range from essential use CFCs through to the most recent HFC blends. Coolgas also supplies in a wide variety of formats from the smallest auto aftermarket disposable cans through to bulk tankers for industrial customers. Coolgas is an EPA approved refrigerant reclaimer. The Coolgas, Inc. headquarters are located 40 miles north of Houston, Texas. For more information visit www.coolgas.com

Global Expansion Continues With US Deal

The Bristol Post
Michael Ribbeck
August 8 2012

A-Gas buys disposal specialist

A company based in Portishead which specializes in supplying gases used in refrigeration has just completed its fourth takeover this year.

A-Gas has gone on its acquisition spree as part of a strategy to expand into international markets.

The firm is already one of the world's largest suppliers of refrigerated gases, environmental services and specialty gases and chemicals.

The company, which also has offices in Bristol, has bough United States based RemTec International in its latest deal. The firm specializes in disposing of harmful gases.

The value of the deal was not made public but it took place with support from private equity specialist LDC, which invested in the firm in April 2011.

RemTec was set up in 1986 and provides products and services inolved in managing Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and substances high in Global Warming Potential (GWP) across the world. 

As part of the expansion plan A-Gas has now got a presence in the Middle East, China, Australia and India as well as Latin America.

RemTec has contracts with organizations all over the world to remove, recycle and remarket halocarbons.

The acquisition of RemTec follows on from similar acquisitions of Australian-based Technochem in March and SA Rural in May, and UK based A-Zone Technologies in April.

John Rutley, chairman of A-Gas International, said, "The acquisition of RemTec is another great example of our ambition to grow the business on a global scale."

"RemTec brings a market leadership position in Halons and a strong platform for growth in refrigerants; we believe that there is real scope to build further upon RemTec's success to date in North America, whilst also driving value across the enlarged group."

Ian Podmore of LDC added: "2012 has been an exceptionally busy year to date for A-Gas. RemTec is the fourth strategic acquisition completed by the business this year and not only strengthens their existing position in the global refrigerant market but also gives the business real scale within the USA."

"The transaction brings many strategic benefits to A-Gas and is part of an agreed strategy to rapidly expand and build the business both through organic investment and bolt-on acquisitions. We will continue to work closely with the team to drive their amitious growth plans."

Yann Souillard, managing director of LDC South Region, added: "LDC's South team has worked in close conjunction with the management team to support their ambitious 'buy and build' growth strategy. As part of our investment commitment, LDC works closely with our investment portfolio to provide expertise and follow-on funding when the right target companies become available."

West Gas Firm Expands With Buying Spree

Western Daily Press
9 August 2012

A company based in Portishead which specializes in supplying gases used in refrigeration has just completed its fourth takeover this year.

A-Gas has gone on its acquisition spree as part of a strategy to expand into international markets.

The firm is already one of the world's largest suppliers of refrigerated gases, environmental services and specialty gases and chemicals.

The company, which also has offices in Bristol, has bough United States based RemTec International in its latest deal. The firm specializes in disposing of harmful gases.

The value of the deal was not made public but it took place with support from private equity specialist LDC, which invested in the firm in April 2011.

RemTec was set up in 1986 and provides products and services inolved in managing Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) and substances high in Global Warming Potential (GWP) across the world. 

As part of the expansion plan A-Gas has now got a presence in the Middle East, China, Australia and India as well as Latin America.

RemTec has contracts with organizations all over the world to remove, recycle and remarket halocarbons.

The acquisition of RemTec follows on from similar acquisitions of Australian-based Technochem in March and SA Rural in May, and UK based A-Zone Technologies in April.

John Rutley, chairman of A-Gas International, said, "The acquisition of RemTec is another great example of our ambition to grow the business on a global scale."