Airgas, Radnor, PA, outlined its growth strategies and successes in its annual analyst meeting in December. Here is an overview of the key areas covered by the gases and welding hardgoods distributor.

Product and Segment Focus
According to Airgas, about 30 percent of its total sales go to customer segments that are "growing faster than GDP." Strategic products, a group of five product areas, account for 40 percent of sales. Those are: Bulk, Medical, Specialty Gas, CO2/Dry Ice, and Safety Products. These product areas have grown faster than Airgas' other core business, COO Michael Molinini told analysts, and the areas cater to "favorable customer segments."

One growth driver for these areas is cross-selling. For example, …