For years Asia has been the growth region of the world. It suffered in the financial crisis of the late 1990s and has taken economic knocks recently from SARS and bird flu but, even so, over virtually any recent period you wish to choose it has delivered faster growth than other parts of the world. This is important to BOC because we started investing seriously in Asia at an early stage and we have consistently built our regional leadership.
Looking around Asia there are few countries where we are not number one or two, and in most we can claim leadership. China has drawn the growth spotlight onto itself recently but the very scale of what is being undertaken in China should not disguise the developments taking place in the region as a whole.
BOC Edwards is a core supplier to the top semiconductor manufacturers, and today you will find most of them building new 300mm wafer fabs in Asia. The traditional markets of Europe and the US remain important but again the message is that growth comes from the east. For Process Gas Solutions the US market will deliver many opportunities over the next few years, but it is in Asia, and particularly China, that the new world-scale developments are underway. The headquarters of Process Gas Solutions moved to Singapore two years ago and in Shanghai we are growing a talented and knowledgeable team able to deliver and manage the major projects we have already won.
BOC's future is built around all the countries in which it operates, with Asia taking a special role. Asia offers exciting growth opportunities. Asia offers new and challenging industries. And, most importantly, Asia offers talented people who will grow our business and make successful careers in BOC.
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