ExxonMobil’s Polypropylene Growth Project (PPG) is a world-class impact copolymer plant that used the latest technology during its four-year construction phase. Polypropylene is a material that enhances the safety and performance of everyday consumer products and improves vehicle fuel efficiency.

Early into the project, contractor Turner Industries decided the use of technology would be critical to the project’s success.

Field foremen were provided with training and tablets with software for construction and engineering, with the Turner Tablet Application Suite aiding with safety analysis, time sheets, earned value progress, requests for information, field orders and tracking scaffolds.

Turner believes “the tablet applications allowed the team to automate workflow, improve safety and increase time on tools.”

Additionally, the Turner tablet allowed the field team to view BIM360 and BIM360 Glue, which aided in planning efforts.

As work finished, signatures from craftsmen, supervisors, quality control personnel and the client were gathered and recorded. This step produced a status of every inspection test report on the project, giving all parties a visible level of completion.

“The tool was instrumental in planning priorities, evaluating craft resource levels and staff needs and tracking project completion,” the company noted in its Best Projects submittal.

Photo courtesy Turner Industries Group

Additionally, potential obstructions and rework by Turner’s team were avoided thanks to the virtual reality models produced by ExxonMobil.

One such example was when a lift plan module was created for the loop reactors, enabling a crane operator to perform the lift virtually.

“It saved significant time since the actual loop reactor was being manufactured in Italy,” the company explained.

A consortium agreement was entered between Turner Industries’ construction division and Worley Group to design and construct an impact copolymer (ICP) capable line that converts chemical-grade propylene (CGP) into polypropylene.

Photo courtesy Turner Industries Group

The consortium self-performed 3 million hours of work with a crew that peaked at 650, with the work representing 98% of all site prep, civil, structural, equipment, piping, electrical and instrumentation services, company figures show.

“Along with Turner’s scaffolding, insulation, painting and abatement (SIPA) group, this project was Turner’s largest self-performed project to date,” the contractor noted. “Self-performing the work resulted in significant cost savings for the client and streamlined the project management structure.”

Originally slated for completion in April 2021, the PPG project was extended due to COVID-19’s impact on global supplies, market volatility and numerous hurricanes, including Ida. The pandemic “severely disrupted” operations a year into the project.

Leadership solutions included reducing the workforce to under 100 from 400, strict masking and social distancing rules as well as supplying hygiene options for workers ranging from split work shifts to plexiglass barriers on lunch tables.