Talk:Aqua Lung America

Apeks and Aqua Lung America

@RadioFan: I have restored pages Aqua Lung America and Apeks to text, because the information that was in their texts is NOT in the current version of page Air Liquide. The firms Aqua Lung America and Apeks have or had long independent or semi-independent histories. Page Aqua Lung America was started at 18:01, 12 August 2007. The current version of page Air Liquide does not describe Apeks. Apeks seems to still be run separately, and still has its own website at http://www.apeksdiving.com/uk/ , and Aqualung at http://www.aqualung.com/uk/ . Someone should add information about which of these firms started when and became a subsidiary of who when, and suchlike. I have no financial connection with any of these firms. Please discuss here. Anthony Appleyard (talk) 04:50, 18 July 2015 (UTC)

First, some factoids:

• Air Liquide is a Global 500 - Fortune company whose activity revolves around industrial gas. Its activity regarding scuba diving equipment is rather anecdotal.
• 'Aqua Lung' (or 'Aqua Lung International') is a major manufacturer of equipment for scuba diving and other aquatic 'sports'. It has a long history and is implanted internationally, as such, it has been known in the past under different names, has had its products distributed abroad also under various names, has acquired other companies, owns registered brands and trademarks, etc. Aqua Lung International is a subsidiary of Air Liquide, although a rather minor one (it's a small market), it is barely mentioned at all in public documents from Air Liquide (website, annual reports and the like).
• Aqua Lung America, Inc is the distributor of Aqua Lung products in North America, just as Aqua Lung GmbH is the distributor of Aqua Lung products in Germany, Austria and Denmark or Aqua Lung España S.L. in Spain or Portugal. The list goes on. Aqua Lung America was known in the past as 'U.S. Divers', I have found no reliable indication that it was ever independent under that name, maybe it was, maybe it was not.
• Apeks Marine Equipment Ltd is a manufacturer of 'technical diving' equipment. Aqua Lung sells its products under the 'Apeks' brand. The history of Apeks as an independent manufacturer is unknown to me and a quick research returned nothing much.
• Aqua Lung also sells products under various other brands: Aqua Sphere (swimming), Michael Phelps (swimming), U.S. Divers (snorkeling), Stohlquist (paddling gear), Deep See (diving boots & gloves). Past names have included 'Technisub' or 'Sea Quest'. Aqua Lung has also associated in some way with 'Suunto' (diving computers), and markets some of its products as 'Aqua Lung Sport' and 'Aqua Lung Military and Professional'. Some of these names may have been formerly independent companies, former distributors, or former entities launched by Aqua Lung under different names. Reliable information is rather difficult to find.

Anyway:

• I do not see any reason why 'Aqua Lung America' should need its own page. There's very little material on that entry as it is currently that's actually about 'Aqua Lung America', and I have found no indication that a more fleshed out article might exist based on reliable sources. To me, the existence of an entry for 'Aqua Lung America' makes as much sense as an entry on 'Apple Germany' separate from that on Apple, Inc. As the entry is, it's just confusing, self-contradictory (Is Aqua Lung America a division of Aqua Lung / La Spirotechnique or of Air Liquide) and probably wrong (U.S. Divers being a 'division' of Aqua Lung America). U.S. Divers may or may not have had an independent existence in the past, maybe there exist reliable sources with sufficient material for an entry on 'U.S. Divers' (I have found none), I don't see a case either way for an entry on 'Aqua Lung America' anymore than I see one for 'Aqua Lung GmbH' or 'Aqua Lung España'. The sensible thing to do was to turn it into a redirect, which is exactly what was done before you went on a revert spree on my edits.
• While I'm not particularly knowledgeable about the corporate structure of Air Liquide or Aqua Lung, it is clearly 'Aqua Lung' that sells 'Apeks' products (as you can see from the Aqua Lung website), regardless of the existence of a separate website for the UK (registered by Aqua Lung). It could possibly have its own entry if substantial material from reliable sources existed (good luck), or it could be mentioned on the Aqua Lung page (as currently is the case). I do not see a case for polluting the Air Liquide entry with minor entities of side activities which Air Liquide does not bother to mention in its documents and very likely only owns indirectly.
• I would rename the main 'Aqua Lung / La Spirotechnique' entry to 'Aqua Lung International', as that seems to be the name the company identify itself as, or just 'Aqua Lung' which is the name every diver is familiar with.

82.231.41.7 (talk) 22:47, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

External links modified

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