Air Liquide's unit, Singapore Oxygen Air Liquide (SOXAL), inaugurated its S$500m Jurong Island infrastructure expansion on Friday.
Jean Marc de Royere, chairman and CEO of Air Liquide Asia Pacific and senior vice president of the Air Liquide group, said at the inauguration that the company expects to invest more in Singapore.
He also told ICIS that he expects China to overtake Japan as a major revenue contributor to the company in three years' time.
Japan is the company's biggest contributor from the region with sales at ?.2bn ($1.7bn) against Asia Pacific sales of ?.6bn in 2010.
China generates just half of Japan's contribution, but growth in China is very strong, de Royere added.
In February, the company said it had 24 start-ups of various units in 2010, with developing economies accounting for 18 of these start-ups, including eight in China.
Air Liquide expects 19 units to start up this year, it said in February.
SOXAL's expansion at Jurong includes a 1,200 tonne/day air separation unit, a world-scale hydrogen production plant and a 35-km long hydrogen pipeline, a company statement said.
The facilities were completed and commissioned at the end of 2010, it said.
The air separation plant produces oxygen, nitrogen, and argon, while another plant produces hydrogen, the statement added.
These gases are essential components in industries, such as petrochemical, refining, renewable fuel, aviation, construction, electronics, marine, pharmaceutical and semiconductor, the company said.
Air Liquide produces gases for industry, health and the environment, and is present in 80 countries with 43,600 employees worldwide, according to the company's website.
($1 = S$1.23 / $1 = ?.69)
