TOKYO — Taiyo Nippon Sanso will begin producing industrial gases in Myanmar in 2018 as demand looks to expand.
The gas producer will establish a local affiliate within the year and bring in equipment to operate a plant in the Yangon area, investing a total of 1 billion yen ($9.78 million). With Japanese companies increasingly setting up operations in Myanmar, Taiyo Nippon Sanso expects steady demand growth in industrial gas used for metal welding and cutting.
The Japanese company will operate in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone, where automaker Suzuki Motor and Kubota, a manufacturer of farming equipment, plan to build factories. Taiyo Nippon Sanso will set up equipment producing oxygen, nitrogen and argon gas, and hire within three years about 60 personnel for production and sales.
Though the scale of production is unclear, most of the gas will be supplied to factories within the special economic zone as industrial gas is unfit for long-distance travel. Taiyo Nippon Sanso said demand for industrial gas in the Yangon area totaled about 2 billion yen in 2015.
European and American rivals have limited their entry into Myanmar to investments in local companies, as market scale is small. Taiyo Nippon Sanso hopes to get a head start in snaring Myanmar’s growing demand and aims for 1 billion yen in sales by 2030.
Source: Nikkei Asian