Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) has achieved mechanical completion on a citral facility and associated infrastructure for BASF Petronas Chemicals in Kuantan, Malaysia.
As part of the Integrated Aroma Ingredients Complex, Fluor performed front-end engineering and design, engineering, procurement and construction management on the citral facility and its associated infrastructure. The facility will produce citral, among other aroma ingredients, to meet the growing demand for citral-based products in the flavor and fragrance industry. Fluor is also executing the engineering, procurement and construction management for a downstream L-menthol unit. 
Ramp-up of the downstream L-menthol unit is expected in 2017.
During construction, Fluor managed a workforce of nearly 2,200 craft workers, comprised of 10 different nationalities. With the concurrent construction of the citral facility and menthol unit, the project achieved an accelerated 24-month construction schedule and navigated multiple critical process tower lifts in a compact working environment.
The meticulous preparation of all parties, including Fluor and BASF Petronas Chemicals, ensured the flawless delivery of the T-5000 tower (photo) to the site. Key moments of the journey are captured in a video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNB9iJZppOw.
Implementing a strong health, safety and environment culture at the site, the projects achieved more than 8 million work hours without a lost-time incident and received the Malaysian Occupational Safety and Health Practitioner’s Association Gold Award for excellence in occupational safety and health.
BASF Petronas Chemicals is a Malaysian-based joint venture between BASF and Petronas Chemicals Group.