Trade News
Mississauga, Canada, May 18, 2010 - Linde Canada has signed a 10-year agreement to supply the medical oxygen needs of over 120 independent home healthcare companies throughout Canada. The contract was signed with the VGM Group and its group high-tech rehab equipment dealers, the Motion Group.
Linde Canada is an affiliate of Linde North America, which is a member of The Linde Group, a world leading gases and engineering company.
The VGM Group was formed as a purchasing group in 1998 and is North America’s most comprehensive member service organization. It administers programs for over 4,000 member locations throughout Canada, the U.S., and Puerto Rico. VGM in Canada has a network of independent home medical equipment, respiratory, orthotic and prosthetic equipment and pharmacy dealers in addition to the Motion Group, which is a specialized group of dealers that provides high-tech rehab equipment and services in local communities.
“We are very excited about this new business opportunity,” said Robert Rayes, channel sales manager for Linde Canada. “This partnership is strategic for Linde as it will be a tremendous boost to our national penetration in the home healthcare market,” Rayes said.
According to the agreement, Linde will be the authorized vendor in Canada of medical gases for VGM’s 60 partners and Motion Group’s 64 centers. Ontario will be the first region Linde plans to convert. “We believe the combination of Linde’s extensive experience in medical gases and the close relationship that VGM and the Motion Group have with their partners will allow us to make the complete conversions to Linde medical oxygen within the next three to five years,” Rayes said.
“We are extremely pleased to have partnered with a well-respected global company such as Linde,” says Dave Davies, vice president of VGM Canada. “As more of our members move into the respiratory side of the home healthcare business, it is essential to be partnered with a well established company that can lend support and assist in the development of programs to help our partners succeed. We believe we have found that partner in Linde,” Davies said.
The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 48,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2009 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 11.2 billion (USD 15.3 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.
Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
For more information, visit Linde Canada online at www.lindecanada.com
Contact:
Meghan Gibson
Corporate Communications
Tel: 905-501-1700 x 2276
Fax: 905-501-1634
Meghan.Gibson@linde.com