Kodak China Film Program Management

Fluor provided overall program management, engineering, procurement, construction management, and partial commissioning services for the program. In 2000, Fluor completed the project, achieving world-class quality standards, ahead of a critical schedule, within a tight budget, and with ZERO lost-time accidents.

The Kodak China Film Plant project received Fluor's Hugh Coble Project Excellence Award in 2000. The award is based on outstanding performance in several areas; including safety, value creation, and Client and community relations.

Client's Challenge

To capture the huge market in China for photographic materials (film and paper), Kodak (China) Company Ltd., a joint venture of Eastman Kodak and its Chinese partners was formed in early 1998 to invest US$1 billion, which included the construction of a modern film production base in the People's Republic of China. At that time, it was the largest investment by a U.S. company in China.

Called the Kodak China Program, the facilities consisting of a combination of emulsion manufacturing, film and paper sensitizing and finishing, packaging and shipping, utility systems, and site infrastructure required to support the operation, were constructed in two phases and at three separate locations: Xiamen, Shantou, and Haicang.

The quality standards established by Kodak required that the plant facilities be world-class and the products indistinguishable from those produced by other Kodak plants. To meet market demand and to fulfill the agreement with the Chinese government, Kodak also established a critical construction schedule of 26 months.

Fluor's Solution

Fluor provided overall program management, engineering, procurement, construction management, and partial commissioning services for the program. A team of Fluor and Kodak professionals that included expatriates and Chinese nationals was organized at the program level to provide overall program management functions and to address issues common to all three sites, such as quality, safety, permitting and government relations, human resources, finance, and information systems.

Separate project teams consisting of both Fluor and Chinese design institute personnel were established to perform design, procurement, construction management, and commissioning for each individual site. Fluor's Manila office supported the engineering effort.

The Final Plant Acceptance Permit was obtained at the same time construction was completed, a record in China. The project safety goal of ZERO lost-time accidents was successfully achieved, another record for projects in China. There were 5,000 local craft workers from 30 contractors at the project's peak and a total of 22 million hours worked for the entire program.

Conclusion

Fluor worked closely with Kodak, the Chinese Design Institutes, subcontractors, and government agencies to complete the project on schedule, within budget, safely, and to the highest quality standards.