A Singapore-owned steel producer announced plans to ramp up Myanmar production and manufacture the first coated steel products produced in the country.

This December, the JFE Meranti Myanmar Co. Ltd. (JMM) will begin producing new products for both export and domestic sale under the new brand ALZU. ALZU will be a joint venture between JMM and four Japanese partners. JMM CEO Sebastian Langendorf said Myanmar’s booming property and infrastructure sectors will create demand for the new products, which include aluminum-zinc-alloy coated materials for industrial, commercial and residential use. JMM says they will be specifically designed to hold up in Myanmar’s alternating seasons of intense heat and heavy rain.

“Many new buildings will need to be built, and old ones will need to be renovated or replaced. In order to play a key role in building the Myanmar of the future, JFE MERANTI is introducing ALZU, a durable coated-steel product that is suitable for the Myanmar climate. With that product, developers can create buildings with long-lasting integrity,” the Myanmar Times quoted Langendorf as saying.

It does appear that ALZU will have no shortage of potential customers in the coming years. Although some fear that Myanmar is in the midst of a property bubble, the Myanmar government is marching forward with hundreds of millions of dollars worth infrastructure projects in railways, roadways, aviation and energy among other sectors.

In the lead-up to the ALZU launch, JMM has been making high-value agreements with producers operating in Myanmar. In August, for example, JMM signed a joint venture agreement with Thai industrial gas company BIG and Yangon Industrial Gas Trading Co., Ltd., which is building an industrial gas plant in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone.