Engineering Scope

Electrical Engineering

Power distribution, medium-voltage substation, and service-upgrade design for Delaware County's I-95 corridor plants, riverfront industrial sites, and brownfield-conversion facilities along the Delaware. We deliver NFPA 70E arc-flash studies, short-circuit and protective-device coordination, one-line diagrams, and panel schedules for older Chester, Marcus Hook, and Eddystone-area buildings where aging feeders and legacy switchgear demand careful fault-current analysis.

Controls & Automation Engineering

PLC/SCADA programming, HMI development, control-panel design, and systems integration on the Allen-Bradley/Rockwell stack for Delaware County food, beverage, and process manufacturers. We handle controls retrofits and migrations common to the county's repurposed mill and waterfront industrial spaces, from standalone machine control to plant-wide integration with full functional-design documentation. We can carry the OT layer from Purdue-model network design through UL 508A panel assembly and installation, using fixed-fee or T&M terms with project management.

Process Engineering

Process design, P&IDs, and mechanical/utilities engineering for Delaware County manufacturing and chemical-handling operations, including the refining-adjacent and bulk-material processing that defines the lower Delaware River industrial base. We size utilities, define process flows, and produce GAMP5-aligned documentation (URS/FDS/HDS) where pharma and regulated agrifood production requires it.

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Plant and Facility Work in Delaware County

🍔 Food & Beverage 🥛 Dairy Processing 🍪 Snack & Bakery 🍖 Meat & Poultry 🐶 Pet Food 🌾 Agrifood 🛒 Consumer Products 🧴 Personal Care & Cosmetics 🧪 Chemical Processing 🧫 Specialty Chemicals 🔬 Life Sciences 💊 Nutraceuticals 💧 Water & Wastewater Treatment 📦 Warehousing & Distribution 📦 Packaging & Fulfillment

Local and Project Context in Delaware County

Southeastern PA Life Sciences Corridor
Delaware County is located within one of the largest life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing corridors in the United States. The greater Philadelphia region has one of the highest concentrations of pharmaceutical, biotech, and regulated manufacturing operations in the country.
Pennsylvania PE Licensing
LAPORTE maintains Professional Engineer licenses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, issued by the State Registration Board for Professional Engineers. PE licensure is required for engineering services in PA and is verifiable through the state's public licensing system.
Minutes from Delaware County
LAPORTE's West Chester, PA office is approximately 15 miles from the Delaware County seat of Media. This proximity allows LAPORTE engineers to be on-site at client facilities within 30 minutes for project meetings, field surveys, and construction support.
Delaware River Industrial Corridor
Delaware County's border along the Delaware River includes a long-established industrial corridor through Eddystone, Chester, Trainer, and Marcus Hook. Chemical processing, refining, and advanced manufacturing operations have been active in this corridor for over a century.
Cell and Gene Therapy Growth Region
The Philadelphia metro area, including Delaware County, is a national center for cell and gene therapy manufacturing. This growing sector requires specialized facility design, process automation, and electrical infrastructure that meets strict FDA and cGMP requirements.

Engineering Leadership

Photo of Nate Kocher, P.E.
Nate Kocher, P.E.
Partner, Director of Electrical and Automation Engineering
LAPORTE • West Chester, PA

Engineering and management consultant with 15+ years of work in control systems, power distribution and systems integration for food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

  • P.E. Licensed in 21 States
  • Penn State, B.S. Electrical Engineering
  • West Chester University, MBA
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Photo of Keith Morgart, P.E.
Keith Morgart, P.E.
Electrical and Automation Engineer
LAPORTE • Greater Pittsburgh, PA

Electrical power and controls engineer whose work includes power distribution, motor controls and code compliance for industrial and commercial facilities.

  • P.E. Licensed Professional Engineer
  • University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, B.S. Electrical Engineering
  • NEC, NFPA and IEEE standards
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Representative Project Work

pet food • multidiscipline
Project need: A pet food manufacturer required engineering design for a new 370,000 sq ft greenfield production facility ($315M total constructed cost).
LAPORTE scope: LAPORTE provided preliminary and detailed engineering for MEP, automation, instrumentation, and process. Scope included 45 HVAC units, ammonia refrigeration with micro-charging, air compressors, boilers, 40 MBTU cooling tower, chiller skids (2,300 TR), and wastewater treatment. Services included procurement, construction administration, startup, and commissioning with a team of 35.
Outcome: The greenfield facility was designed and constructed as a fully integrated production plant.
food & beverage • automation
Project need: A nutrition company required engineering for a greenfield whey protein plant ($800M total constructed cost) including receiving, heat treatment, filtration, and drying systems.
LAPORTE scope: LAPORTE provided project management, preliminary and detailed engineering design for process and automation, design of automation architecture (50+ control panels, networks, operator stations, control room), procurement support, and commissioning (IQ/OQ/PQ). Scope included HTST heat treatment, disc stack centrifuges, membrane filtration (UF/NF/RO), crystallization, evaporation, spray drying, and CIP.
Outcome: The greenfield whey protein plant was designed and commissioned.
pharmaceutical • multidiscipline
Project need: A national research organization required a new Biologics Manufacturing Centre with biological containment level CL2 for vaccine candidate production (5,000 m², $126M total constructed cost).
LAPORTE scope: LAPORTE provided engineering and construction supervision for the new facility including two cell culture suites (500L and 2,000L), purification by chromatography, vial filling, secondary packaging, warehouse, offices, mechanical/electrical rooms, and QC laboratory. The facility was designed in accordance with GMP requirements.
Outcome: The Biologics Manufacturing Centre was completed and designed for vaccine production.

Project Questions

Does LAPORTE have engineers licensed in Pennsylvania?
Yes. LAPORTE has Professional Engineers licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Our engineers are qualified to seal electrical, controls, and instrumentation drawings for projects in Delaware County and throughout the state.
What industries does LAPORTE serve near Delaware County?
LAPORTE serves pharmaceutical, biotech, food and beverage, chemical, and other regulated manufacturing facilities in the Delaware County area. The southeastern PA corridor has a high concentration of these industries, and LAPORTE's engineering disciplines align directly with their needs.
How quickly can LAPORTE respond to projects in Delaware County?
LAPORTE's West Chester office is approximately 15 miles from central Delaware County. Our engineers can be on-site within 30 minutes for field work, facility assessments, and project coordination. This proximity supports both long-term capital projects and urgent engineering needs.
What engineering services does LAPORTE provide for pharmaceutical facilities in Delaware County?
LAPORTE provides electrical power distribution design, process controls and automation, instrumentation, and systems integration for pharmaceutical manufacturing. Our work supports FDA-regulated environments, including cGMP compliance, cleanroom electrical systems, and validated automation platforms.
Can LAPORTE support projects at chemical facilities along the Delaware River corridor?
Yes. LAPORTE has experience with electrical and controls engineering for chemical processing facilities. Our services include hazardous area classification, power system studies, motor control design, and process automation for facilities in regulated chemical manufacturing environments.
Does LAPORTE handle both new construction and facility upgrades?
LAPORTE provides engineering for greenfield construction, facility expansions, and upgrades to existing systems. Many projects in the Delaware County area involve modernizing aging electrical infrastructure or adding automation to existing manufacturing lines while maintaining production.
What is LAPORTE's approach to automation engineering for regulated facilities?
LAPORTE designs control systems that meet regulatory requirements from the start. For FDA-regulated facilities, this includes GAMP-compliant documentation, 21 CFR Part 11 considerations, and validation-ready system architecture. We work with major automation platforms and design systems that are maintainable by the client's operations team.

Engineering support in nearby areas

Engineering support for Delaware County, PA

Serving Delaware County, PA from West Chester, PA
Suite 200, 158 West Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19382
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