FLUOR: Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Leader
Fluor Corporation, a global leader in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC), has been in operation since 1912. With projects spanning over 60 countries, Fluor is one of the largest publicly listed EPC companies on the Fortune 500, ranked at 265th. Employing nearly 27,000 people, Fluor serves industries such as energy, mining, infrastructure, and transportation, providing comprehensive, lifecycle engineering services for large-scale projects, including refineries, power plants, mining facilities, and major infrastructure works.
In many of Fluor's large-scale projects, the construction sites are vast and complex, often involving large equipment coordination, multiple trades, and numerous workers. These projects require highly reliable, immediate, and secure communication systems.
Challenge: Limited Coverage and Inefficient Coordination
In a typical large-scale petrochemical plant construction project, Fluor faced several communication challenges:
- Complex and Noisy Environment: The background noise from large machinery, concrete pouring, and other operations made it difficult for traditional communication equipment to deliver clear calls. Coordinating between different trades, such as tower crane operators and ground control personnel, was often disrupted.
- Large, Multi-Story Work Areas: The construction site featured significant vertical height differences, including deep underground pits and work at heights of several dozen meters. Traditional radios struggled to cover 15-30 stories, causing communication gaps between floors.
- Harsh Environmental Durability Requirements: The site exposed radios to dust, rain, and the risk of accidental drops. Standard radios were easily damaged, and workers often wore gloves, making small button operations cumbersome.
- Safety Alerts and Emergency Response Needs: The project required real-time weather alerts (such as for storms or high winds) and a fast emergency notification system for issues like equipment failures or worker injuries to ensure safety.
- Complex Multi-Team Coordination: With over 70 subcontractors and more than 2,300 workers on site, Fluor needed a highly efficient communication system for daily coordination. Traditional verbal or mobile phone communications were insufficient for real-time, group communications.
Solution: Always-On Connectivity
Fluor selected RETEVIS' RB48, RB48P, and RB648 series walkie-talkies, which performed exceptionally well on construction sites.
- Precise Communication for Key Operations: To solve the challenge of coordinating between high-altitude and ground-level teams, Fluor equipped tower crane operators, ground controllers, and high-altitude workers with the RB48 Plus radios, offering coverage up to 30 stories. This ensured no dead zones for communication, even in noisy environments. The large PTT buttons and excellent glove-friendly design made it easy for workers to communicate safely while focused on their tasks.
- Durability for Extreme Construction Environments: In response to the site’s dust, rain, and drop risks, the IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating of the RB48 and RB648 radios, combined with their ability to withstand drops from up to 2 meters, ensured reliability in tough conditions. The bright yellow design enhanced visibility in complex environments, increasing worker safety. Additionally, the spring-loaded lanyard kept radios accessible during tasks like climbing, welding, or heavy lifting.
- Safety Alerts Integrated into the Active Safety Management System: The radios were equipped with NOAA weather alert functionality, warning workers of adverse weather conditions like rainstorms or strong winds. This feature allowed managers to quickly evacuate personnel and adjust work schedules. The "Emergency Alert" button provided workers with a direct emergency response channel, significantly reducing response times and enhancing safety.
- Long Battery Life for Extended Shifts: For teams working long shifts, the RB648's 2000mAh battery supported all-day communication without the need for frequent recharging. The universal Type-C charging port, along with optional vehicle charging, ensured that drivers and inspectors could recharge radios from mobile power sources, eliminating "battery anxiety" and ensuring continuous communication during fieldwork.
- Efficient Multi-Team Coordination with Channel Management: With over 70 subcontractors, Fluor created dedicated communication channels for different teams (e.g., crane operations, safety inspections, and electrical installations). RETEVIS radios provided clear audio quality and stable signals, ensuring smooth communication both within teams and across teams, reducing interference and significantly improving coordination during daily briefings and task assignments.
Results
By deploying RETEVIS radios, Fluor significantly enhanced communication efficiency and safety on construction sites. The radios reduced delays and safety risks caused by communication failures.
"Compared to the former radios we used, strong signal penetration is important for us. With RETEVIS radios, communication blackouts on high-rises are a thing of the past. RETEVIS RB48 is simply more rugged than others. If the radio once falls into a wheelbarrow or in a puddle, simply clean it under running water and the job can go on. I can not imagine the operation of a construction site without radio."
Looking ahead, Fluor plans to expand the use of RETEVIS communication solutions across more projects globally, building safer, more efficient, and smarter construction communication networks, further cementing its leadership in the global engineering and construction industry.
