BOC Edwards Unit Sold to Private Equity Firm

Linde AG, the world's biggest producer of industrial gases, announced today it has sold part of its BOC Edwards subsidiary to private equity firm CCMP Capital, through affiliates CCMP Capital Advisors LLC and CCMP Capital Asia, for $901 million. The contract was signed today, and the transaction is expected to close between May and June, subject to regulatory and closing conditions.

Linde said that if New York-based CCMP moves to sell the operation, it will pay the German company another $85.51 million.

BOC Edwards, based in West Sussex, England, employs about 4000 people globally in the design, manufacture and support of semiconductor components and vacuum pumps. The company invented the concept of the commercial oil-free "dry" vacuum pump and supplies a wide variety of related products and services to the semiconductor, flat panel display, chemical, pharmaceutical, metallurgical, analytical instrumentation and research and development industries.

The deal to sell the unit of BOC Edwards, which was part of Britain's BOC Group PLC that Linde acquired for 12.4 billion euros last year, follows Linde’s announcement in September that it intended to focus on its global gases operations and that it would review strategic options for the divestment of BOC Edwards. After it acquired BOC, Linde combined the gases activities of the former BOC Group and the Linde Gas division and grouped them together in its new Gases Div.

BOC Edwards said in a statement, "Our new partner has invested over $10 billion in strong, technology-led businesses such as ours since 1984. They have a similar global profile to BOC Edwards, with strength in Asia and the US, in addition to Europe. We are particularly excited because, as an independent private company, we can concentrate on what we do best: providing innovative products and services to our global customers. We will continue to do this, supported by the financial strength and scale of CCMP Capital."

BOC Edwards said its equipment business has a turnover of about half a billion pounds.

CCMP Capital Advisors and CCMP Capital Asia are acquiring the main vacuum and semiconductor equipment business of BOC Edwards. The pharmaceutical division will remain a subsidiary of The Linde Group.

Linde said today that it earned $2.37 billion in net profit in 2006, more than triple what it earned in 2005 as sales rose to $16.31 billion.

For more information, visit: www.ccmpcapital.com