Xiamen Photo Film Plant
Client: Eastman Kodak
Location: Xiamen, China
Business Segment: Energy Solutions
Industry: Chemicals
Executive Summary
Fluor provided project management, engineering, design, procurement and construction management assistance on behalf of Eastman Kodak to develop the Xiamen Photo Film Plant. The facility was owned by Xiamen Photographic Materials Company (XPMC), with Eastman Kodak providing the equipment and technology.
The project included emulsion making and finishing, melt/delivery, coating machine, pilot coater, silver recovery and waste treatment, silver nitrate purification and finishing operations.
Client's Challenge
The process technology to make color film and photo paper consisted of emulsion preparation wherein 89 different chemicals were mixed into various coating solutions for application to either paper or acetate-backed film. From the emulsions-making area, four to five materials were coated onto the paper or film material in a coating machine.
The coating line coated and dried the layers, and then the material was rolled onto large master rolls. These were then taken to the finishing section for conversion to consumer products such as movie film, 35mm film or photographic paper. All operations were performed in the dark.
Fluor's Solution
Starting in 1983, Fluor assisted Eastman Kodak in preparation of the technical and commercial proposals that served as the basis for Kodak's contract with XPMC. Once the project was released, we provided the detailed engineering for the making and finishing building, incinerator building and waste treatment area.
We provided on-site technical advisors in Xiamen and project and material management assistance in Rochester, New York, where engineering activities and offshore procurement of major equipment took place.
Our Houston, Texas office also performed engineering and procurement for the emulsions-making section and the silver-recovery section. The Houston office assisted our Chinese client partners in developing the design of the buildings to house the processes and handling all internal utility piping and HVAC installation.
Conclusion
We began proposal development work with Eastman Kodak in 1983. Project management activities were completed in 1988. We later worked with Kodak on a major China film program management project at three locations, including Xiamen, which completed in 2000.
