Toyo Construction sets up beachhead in Myanmar

Marine civil engineering firm Toyo Construction has launched a business office in Myanmar, a step to expand its presence in Southeast Asia, where construction of harbor facilities is expected to pick up.

The Tokyo-headquartered firm already operates in Vietnam and Indonesia. Its parent-only overseas construction orders is projected reach $533 million for the 3 years through next month, and the company aims to lift the figure to $585 million over the next 3 years.

The Yangon office that opened earlier this month will be overseen by a Japanese manager, who concurrently heads the firm's Vietnamese office in Hanoi. Myanmar is planning construction of harbors for exporting natural gas and other resources.

The firm's Philippine subsidiary intends to win more orders for building factories from Japanese and U.S. manufacturers there.

Rival marine engineering firms are also stepping up efforts to seek business opportunities in the region. Top-ranked Penta-Ocean Construction, already a major force in Singapore, is no longer confined to offshore civil engineering alone and handles onshore projects such as high-speed rail tunnels. Toa is readying personnel for overseas projects through training.