法国液化空气公司(Air Liquide)宣布了若干项大胆的计划，目标是在2012年之前将公司气体业务年收入提高一倍，至200亿欧元(合310亿美元）。该公司是全球工业气体行业中规模最大的两家企业之一。

Air Liquide, the French company that is one of the two biggest in the industrial gases industry, has announced bold plans to double its annual gas revenues to about €20bn ($31bn) by 2012.

该公司准备在未来5年内投入约100亿欧元，用于建设新的气体工厂，投入规模约为2002年至2007年间的逾70%。多数新厂将建立在中国、印度和中东等新兴经济体。

The company intends to spend about €10bn on new gas plants in the next five years, about 70 per cent more than between 2002 and 2007, and with much of it going into emerging economies such as China, India and the Middle East.

工业气体——包括二氧化碳或氨气等“大宗商品”，但也包括氙和氪——的发货，合计形成了一种预兆性的活动，因为它们是精炼及制造业活动中一系列流程的关键给料。

Shipments of industrial gases – including “commodities” such as carbon dioxide or ammonia but also xenon or krypton – add up to a bellwether¹ of activity because they are key feedstocks for a range of processes in refining and manufacturing.

液化空气首席执行官博天(Beno?t Potier)表示，依照他的预想，到2010年初，公司员工总数将从目前的4万名增至6.5万名。

Beno?t Potier, Air Liquide’s chief executive, says his vision extends to the company employing about 65,000 people by early next decade, up from 40,000.

博天承认，自己的增长计划与许多经济学家对于短期经济前景的悲观预期不太合拍——他们的预期与信贷紧缩和目前影响银行业的一些问题有关。

Mr Potier admits his plans for growth are out of kilter with the gloomy prognostications from many economists² – linked to the credit crunch³ and problems affecting the banking⁴ sector⁵ – about the short-term economic outlook.

不过，他认为自己对液化空气公司潜力的预测，是建立在坚实基础之上的。因为他预计，在未来5年内许多新兴经济体都将出现强劲的工业增长。

However, he thinks his projections⁶ about the potential for Air Liquide are on solid ground, because of the strong industrial growth that he expects in the next five years from many emerging economies.

博天对中国尤为乐观。为了满足钢铁和炼油等不断扩张行业的需求，目前该公司在华销售额以每年20%的增长。“我们目前在中国1600名员工。但在未来5年内，这个数字可能会轻松地升至5000人。”

Mr Potier is particularly upbeat about China, where sales are expanding at 20 per cent a year, to feed into expanding industries such as steel and oil refining. “We now have 1,600 employees in China but this could easily go up to 5,000 over the next five years.”

他表示，仅2008年一年，液化空气就希望在中国招募500至1000名员工。“这是一个悖论：当许多人在谈论经济衰退的时候，我们却在拼命地招聘新人。”

He says in 2008 alone Air Liquide wants to recruit 500-1,000 people in China. “It is a paradox⁷ that at a time when many people are talking about a recession we are desperate to take on new employees.”