GREENVILLE, S.C. — AMECO, the fleet outsourcing and construction support unit of Fluor Corp. has been awarded a $25 million contract to provide equipment and fleet management services to Minera Escondida, a Chilean joint-venture mining company owned by an international consortium led by BHP Billiton, an Australian mining group.

Under the five-year contract, AMECO will provide, manage and service Escondida's existing light equipment fleet, which includes maintenance support and construction equipment used at the world's largest producing copper mine 100 miles from Antofagasta, in northern Chile. The award expands upon a contract AMECO signed with Minera Escondida in 1996 to provide equipment with the addition of a comprehensive fleet-outsourcing program managed by AMECO.

“Responding to Escondida's need to increase its focus on its core business, we designed a customized program to add value to their operations by optimizing their equipment resources,”said Gary Bernardez, president of AMECO. “AMECO's commitment to safety is a very important aspect of our relationship with Escondida.”

“We have a good long-term relationship with AMECO built on our confidence in their ability to do the job safely and cost-effectively,” said Bruce Turner, president of Minera Escondida. “Based on that performance, we made the decision to sole source the contract for the light equipment service directly with them.”

Greenville, S.C.-based AMECO is No. 13 on the RER 100.