Messer was founded in 1898 and today is the largest family-run specialist for industrial, medical and specialty gases worldwide. Under the brand 'Messer - Gases for Life' the company offers products and services in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The Messer family of shareholders is now represented by Stefan Messer, CEO, in the third generation and by his son Marcel Messer, management consultant.

The international activities are directed from Bad Soden near Frankfurt am Main. Stefan Messer, Partner and Chairman of the Board of Messer, works together with about 11,000 employees worldwide according to defined principles: These include customer and employee orientation, responsible behavior, corporate responsibility, excellence as well as trust and respect. 

Messer Group acquired the majority of Linde AG’s gases business in North America and certain Linde and Praxair business activities in South America effective March 1, 2019 in a joint venture – called Messer Industries GmbH – with CVC Capital Partners Fund VII (“CVC”). Messer Industries invested a total of around 3.6 billion US dollars (3.2 billion euros).  Messer Group (52 %) contributed the majority of its Western European companies to the joint venture.

Over the course of the next few years, the joint venture will be fully integrated into the family-run Messer Group, thereby establishing a global gas group under the leadership of the Messer family.