THE world's largest eye-care products maker yesterday started work on a US$160 million (S$232 million) manufacturing plant in Singapore - declaring the downturn was a 'great time' to begin construction.

United States-based Alcon is seeking a bigger presence in Asia by building the Tuas facility. This will be its first pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Asia.

Mr Ed McGough, Alcon Laboratories' senior vice-president of global manufacturing and technical operations, said the Singapore facility would be 'the largest capital investment that Alcon has made in its 65-year history'.

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