Expansion of this coatings plant in Shanghai province—an investment that chemical maker BASF estimated at $163.7 million in a 2017 announcement—delivered to the German owner and its local partner a facility that includes new production lines, a solvent recovery unit and other infrastructure. Parallel construction to ongoing 24/7 operations allowed efficient use of craft workers, about 1,200 at peak, and maintenance of a silicon-free environment to ensure coatings quality. Led by Fluor, the team achieved 3.6 million work hours without a lost-time or recordable incident, despite extreme weather and use of electromagnetic radiation to test more than 11,000 welds. The project’s 0.39% weld-reject ratio is well below the 1.25% considered a good industry standard, says the project team. A strong safety culture included more than 45,000 safety observations and rainwater sample-testing to prevent contamination. A fast-tracked 15-month schedule enabled project completion on time and 10% under budget. 

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