MUNICH, Germany, Oct 28 (Reuters) - German industrial gases group Linde can have a bright future even if it does not merge with a rival, its chief executive said on Friday after merger talks with U.S. peer Praxair failed last month.
"I am still convinced that it was right for us and for our shareholders to have sounded out the benefits of this option," Wolfgang Buechele said in remarks prepared for a speech.
But he added: "Even without a merger, Linde offers much potential for a successful future."
Linde earlier announced a wide-ranging restructuring programme designed to save an extra 370 million euros ($404 million) a year from 2019 as it expects a weak global economy to put pressure on its prices in the coming years.
($1 = 0.9160 euros) (Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Maria Sheahan)