Corning LCD Manufacturing Facility - EPC

Fluor provided engineering, procurement and construction management services for Corning's state-of-the-art facility in Taiwan that manufactures glass substrates for the LCD TV market. This was essentially Fluor's first large-scale project in Taiwan and is currently the largest facility of its kind in the world.

Client's Challenge

Corning is a world leader in glass and ceramics, creating and manufacturing keystone components that enable high-technology systems for consumer electronics, mobile emissions control, telecommunications, and life sciences. The goal of developing the Taichung facility was to keep pace with projected worldwide demand for LCD television panels. The addition of this facility enabled Corning to have greater manufacturing capabilities for a variety of large glass substrates. The glass manufactured in Taichung is an award-winning glass composition and is actually the first glass substrate to contain no added heavy metals or halides.

As safety and quality were key concerns for Corning, Fluor's qualifications on this award included an outstanding safety record, dependability, and the ability to execute large-scale projects within schedule. Corning believed Fluor could achieve certain goals that others could not and at the same time bring alignment to Corning's values.

Fluor's Solution

Delivering the solution meant overcoming some unique challenges. Fluor utilized its expertise in project and resource management to overcome the major hurdle of obtaining nearly 80,000 tons of structural steel in only a ten-month period during a worldwide steel shortage. Procurement of the steel began as soon as Fluor was awarded the contract due to the fast-track schedule requirements. The Corning project also called for a considerable labor force and strong local supplier base. Many local staff were hired and then trained in Fluor procedures and regulations, especially in Contracts, as this was unique to Fluor in Taiwan.

Fluor proceeded to work closely with its local partners and gain the cooperation of the local government in order to reach the first milestone, in turn ensuring on-time project completion. This exceptional level of communication, with both the Client and Fluor's local partners, continued throughout the course of the project.

Conclusion

Having secured the necessary degree of local cooperation, Fluor was able to realize every milestone and the project completed on schedule, enabling Corning to deliver their product to customers on a timely basis.

By applying foresight, outstanding communication at every level, and operational excellence throughout every phase of the project, Fluor was able to deliver a high-quality solution on time and with a minimum of safety incidents.