The company says Fluor Daniel Caribbean was ideally suited for this project because of its “long-term relationships in Puerto Rico, securing permits from known entities and reliable delivery from prequalified specialty subcontractors.”

In the life sciences sector, Fluor stands out because of its experience and manpower. “Fluor has extensive experience working on biotechnology and pharmaceutical projects worldwide and has served the life sciences industry for more than 35 years,” the company says. “With a global staff of nearly 3,300 professionals dedicated to life sciences projects, Fluor offers a full range of project and consulting services to life sciences operations.” These services include regulatory and compliance consulting, master planning and clean room construction, according to the company.

Miranda says the company’s ability to offer so many services under one roof has been one of its greatest strengths, and its policy of cross-training employees to tackle any aspect of construction has brought it flexibility. “That gives us a good leverage to be able to support projects on the island,” he says. “Most of the competition, either they have engineering or they have construction or they have validation, but through different entities.”

Although Fluor’s strength in pharmaceuticals has brought it success, Miranda says it also presents some challenges. “Right now, the company is almost 95 percent focused on the pharmaceutical industry,” he says. “The pharmaceutical industry is very cyclical, and we are definitely going right now through the downside of the cycle.”

Keeping Fluor busy during a downturn such as this means the company has to draw from some of its other areas of expertise, Miranda continues. Specifically, the company is able to offer its clients risk management analysis before they open any new facilities. “When you’re going down on the cycle, money becomes very tight and the clients become very careful about risk, because risk equals money,” he says.

Additionally, Fluor can help its clients make the most of the space they have, even when that means less. “Right now, you’re encountering a surplus of solid dosage manufacturing floor space,” Miranda says. “When you have such an excess of manufacturing capacity, you have to be able to understand what else you can do with that excess of space and be able to consolidate facilities.

“We have a specific area within our engineering arm which is called Facility Integration,” Miranda adds. This allows Fluor to advise clients on the best way to maximize material and people flow into a more efficient operation.

Puerto Rico’s Power
Another prominent project for Fluor in the Caribbean is the AES Power Facility located in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The company provided design and commissioning services for the $800 million, 454-megawatt facility, which includes a fluidized-bed combustion unit, an electrostatic precipitator and a circulating dry scrubber.

The company says the facility provides 9 percent of Puerto Rico’s total electrical generating capacity under normal circumstances and 15 percent at full production. It is also the first coal-fired generating facility built on the island.

Despite the facility’s huge output, however, it was constructed to be friendly to the environment. The circulating dry scrubber helps the plant achieve “extremely low” emissions, according to the company. Fluor also utilized zero liquid discharge technology on the project, which reduces the usage of fresh water by recycling wastewater.