BOC Wins Hitachi Medical Systems Open MRI Account.

Business Editors

MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 9, 2003

BOC (NYSE:BOX), the world's leading supplier of helium, recently expanded its agreement with Hitachi Medical Systems to include helium supply and ancillary services for Hitachi's U.S. installations of its Altaire(R) high field open magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. The multi-year agreement has a total estimated value of nearly US $5 million.

Sheldon Schaffer, Hitachi Medical Systems America vice president and general manager, MR business said, "Over the last decade, Hitachi MR systems have gained widespread acceptance in the medical diagnostic imaging community by combining patient comfort with high image quality. In a novel development, Hitachi combined the open architecture design with the elements of the superconductive high field magnet to create a high field performance MR system that provides excellent image quality, advanced clinical applications and throughput consistent with conventional high field systems. Hitachi's new system has proven very popular with both imaging professionals and their customers."

Dan Morgan, director, U.S. helium business, BOC said, "The installation and maintenance requirements of the superconductive Altaire MR systems are such that large quantities of liquid helium are required on short notice with deliveries occurring in a narrow operating window. With the large number of Altaire sites being installed across the U.S., Hitachi needed a cryogen supplier that could provide highly reliable deliveries and superior support services."

Morgan added, "Hitachi offered BOC the opportunity to prove itself, and we demonstrated our capabilities during a two-month span in which we delivered some 40,000 liters of helium without incident. As a result, Hitachi and BOC agreed to extend their existing supply agreement through 2009 with BOC investing in dedicated assets to further reduce cost and improve the efficiency of Hitachi's operations."

BOC supplies helium through a global distribution network that includes the world's second largest helium production facility in Otis, Kansas and 47 local transfill facilities. BOC is the world's leading supplier of helium to diverse markets including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), optical fiber manufacturing, welding and semiconductor manufacturing. BOC has also developed industry-leading helium recycling capability.

Hitachi Medical Systems America, Inc. markets premium, high performance magnetic resonance imaging products of Hitachi Medical Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. These include the Altaire high-field performance MR system and the AIRIS(R) II MR system with advanced permanent magnet technology. The company has more than 1,300 Open Magnetic Resonance Imaging systems installed throughout the United States and over 3,000 Open MRI systems installed worldwide.

Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of over $60 billion. For more information about HMSA's complete line of imaging products and services, please visit www.hitachimed.com.

The BOC Group (NYSE:BOX), the worldwide industrial gases, vacuum technologies and distribution services company, serves two million customers in more than 50 countries. It employs 46,000 people and had annual sales of some $7 billion in 2003. Further information about The BOC Group may be obtained on the Internet at http://www.boc.com.