US-based Fluor Corporation has announced that a plant which the company helped build has won the ‘Award of Merit’ in the 2018 Global Best Projects Awards by Engineering News-Record magazine.

The award was won by the German chemical company BASF’s new automotive coatings plant in Caojing, China.

Fluor provided front-end engineering and design, engineering, procurement and construction management on the project, which is an expansion of the existing facility. With a fast-track, 15-month construction schedule, Fluor managed more than 1,200 craft workers at peak.

The project, which was recognised in the power/industrial category, was completed safely, on schedule and under budget, said a statement from Fluor.

Sandeep Nibber, president of Fluor’s energy and chemicals business in Asia-Pacific, said: “This project, which we completed safely, with quality, on schedule and under budget, exemplifies the creativity and commitment that our employees bring to all of our projects.”

“BASF’s state-of-the-art facility plays a key role in the growing automotive market in China and Asia-Pacific and we are proud that Engineering News-Record has recognised the team’s contributions,” he added.

The BASF and Fluor team maintained stringent quality standards during the project execution to ensure the quality of the coatings that will be produced in the facility. Working alongside the existing operating facility, the project team completed construction with no disruptions to operations.

Engagement of the entire project team through daily safety meetings, hazard identification and mitigation, trainings and safety observations created a strong safety culture at the site.

This culture resulted in more than 3.6 million work hours without a recordable or lost-time incident.

BASF’s new, state-of-the art facility produces thinners, primers, clear coats and waterborne basecoats for the Chinese automotive manufacturing market.

Engineering News-Record selected winning projects based on safety performance, innovations, overcoming challenges, and design and construction quality, with a focus on the global nature of the project.

The project team was featured in the October 1, issue of Engineering News-Record and honoured at an awards ceremony in New York City on October 2, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service