Linde Distributor Association Looks to the Future

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- One hundred seventy-eight people attended the 22(nd) annual meeting of The Linde Distributor Association (LDA), in line with the high attendance over the past several years. The independent distributors are critical to servicing diverse markets, especially for welding and metalworking, healthcare, food and beverages, and increasingly for breweries.

Established in 1993, LDA enables its independent gases and equipment distributor members to leverage their purchasing power to achieve volume discounts and earn rebates from equipment suppliers. Among other support, Linde offers three types of core training for LDA members - sales, operational, and training for service technicians.

"The LDA remains strong and vibrant, and we are looking forward to building on our success in 2018," said Mark Falconer, Co-Chair of the LDA and President of Minneapolis Oxygen.

Bob VanKirk, Head of Distributors, Packaged Gases & Caribbean, Linde LLC, provided progress on investments in the Linde supply chain during a special owner's day session at the meeting at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, June 6-8. Also at the annual meeting, LDA members were updated on Linde's strategic initiatives and heard from 36 select vendors through presentations and breakout sessions.

Linde LLC has a long history with LDA and supports the organization with a variety of programs and benefits.

"This is a distributor-led effort, with Linde's support," VanKirk said. "The distributors have encouraged the Board to look to the future with new programs and initiatives."

Fulfilling an essential mission of the LDA, the Re-Sale and Assets Purchasing Committee provided an update on new vendors and existing vendor agreements, and the related benefits provided to members.

"Our distributor-led committee puts a lot of hard work into strengthening relationships with our suppliers," said Tom Biedermann, Head of the LDA Committee and Vice President of Airweld Inc. "LDA's unique framework for managing supplier relationships has led to a low-cost approach for both distributor and vendor in an ever-changing competitive environment."

Four new independent distributors were introduced into the organization at the 2017 annual meeting. As part of the event program, one of LDA's newest members, Volunteer Welding Supply, hosted an open house at their facility in Nashville which included a tour, dinner and music.

The 2018 LDA annual meeting is slated for the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, June 3-6.

For more information visit the The Linde Distributor Association (www.ldabuy.com) or call: 800-755-9277.

About Linde LLC in North America
Linde LLC is a member of The Linde Group. In the 2016 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of USD 17.9 bn (EUR 16.948 bn), making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 60,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable 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. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, visit www.lindeus.com

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SOURCE Linde LLC