Airgas Signs Another Big University Deal
The Radnor, Pa.-based distributor of industrial gases and safety supplies announced the agreement with the University of Missouri on Wednesday.
Busy all year trying to fend off an unsolicited takeover bid from Air Products, Airgas, Inc. of Radnor, Pa., still has been landing major supply agreements this year, including at least two deals yielding $1 million in annual sales to large universities. Airgas, a large distributor of industrial gases and safety supplies, announced Sept. 1 it has signed a supply agreement with the University of Missouri to provide specialty gases, equipment, safety products, and services to its system. The university's home campus is in Columbia, Mo.; others are in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Rolla, Mo.
Both parties are affiliated with Educational & Institutional Cooperative Purchasing, a group purchasing organization for more than 1,700 higher education, K-12, hospitals, and health care organizations.
"We are pleased to be partnering with the University of Missouri to help optimize their overall purchasing process and track spending through more effective supply chain management," said Todd Morris, Airgas' director for laboratory markets. "To meet these goals, we are implementing a SciQuest interface with their e-procurement system and we are putting our AIM™ (Airgas Inventory Management) programs in place at the university. All of this will streamline the supply chain and deliver total cost reduction."
"Airgas' unique e-procurement capabilities will provide a seamless integration with our systems, enabling the university to operate at optimum efficiency and maximize budgets," said David Silvey, University of Missouri System senior strategic sourcing specialist. "Keeping our laboratories and other university areas appropriately supplied with the right inventory can be challenging. Through our partnership with Airgas, we'll benefit from our customized e-Business solution, Show Me Shop, the university's system-wide eProcurement system."
Airgas on March 3, 2010, announced it had signed a similar, seven-year agreement to supply specialty gases and equipment to more than 600 laboratories at Case Western Reserve University of Cleveland, Ohio. Estimated annual sales are $1 million, Airgas reported.