Engineering Scope

Electrical Engineering

From our West Chester home office we engineer power for Chester County's manufacturing base: low- and medium-voltage distribution (120V-35kV switchgear, transformers, MCCs, panelboards), substation retrofits, and emergency/backup power, plus IEEE 1584 arc-flash studies and SKM/ETAP coordination to stay NFPA 70E-compliant. Full MEP design (lighting, fire alarm, access control, structured cabling) rounds out facility electrical scope across the Greater Philadelphia corridor.

Controls & Automation Engineering

Local controls and automation engineers for the Route 202 / I-76 pharma-and-food belt: Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, Siemens, and Schneider PLC programming, FactoryTalk/Ignition HMI and SCADA, UL 508A/NEC control panels, and ISA-88 batch control for regulated food and pharmaceutical lines. We integrate OEM skids, build IT/OT (EtherNet/IP) networks, deploy historians and MES, handle ISA-18.2 alarm rationalization, and support FAT/SAT and startup. From our West Chester office, we can also assemble and install the panels, configure segmented OT network switches and firewalls, and manage full-scope, fixed-fee, or T&M delivery.

Process Engineering

Process design for Chester County food, beverage, and specialty-chemical producers: process flow and P&ID development, equipment sizing, mass/energy balances, and CIP/SIP system design, backed by mechanical (piping, HVAC, utilities, 3D plant modeling), architecture, and structural disciplines. GAMP5 validation (URS, FDS, IQ/OQ/PQ) and design-build serve the region's FDA-regulated pharmaceutical and biotech sites.

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Plant and Facility Work near West Chester, PA

🍔 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 near West Chester, PA

Pennsylvania PE Licensing
LAPORTE employs Professional Engineers licensed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, meeting all state board requirements for engineering design, stamping, and construction administration on regulated manufacturing projects.
Southeastern PA Life Sciences Corridor
Chester County and the surrounding Philadelphia region form one of the largest life sciences and pharmaceutical manufacturing clusters in the United States, with hundreds of FDA-regulated production facilities within a 30-mile radius of West Chester.
Local Office Presence in West Chester
LAPORTE operates directly from West Chester, PA. Project teams are local, reducing mobilization time and enabling hands-on support during commissioning, validation, and startup activities.
Chester County Manufacturing Base
The West Chester area supports a diverse manufacturing base including pharmaceutical production, food and beverage processing, specialty chemicals, and biotech. These industries require engineering firms fluent in FDA, USDA, EPA, and OSHA regulatory frameworks.
Regulated Industry Focus Since Founding
LAPORTE has spent 25+ years delivering electrical, automation, and systems integration engineering exclusively for regulated manufacturers. This focused experience means project teams understand cGMP, GAMP, and hazardous area classification requirements from day one.

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
Connect on LinkedIn

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 employs Professional Engineers licensed by the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers. Our team can stamp drawings and provide full engineering services for projects across the commonwealth.
What industries does LAPORTE serve near West Chester?
LAPORTE serves pharmaceutical, biotech, food and beverage, and chemical manufacturers in the West Chester area and throughout southeastern Pennsylvania. Our work focuses on electrical power distribution, process automation, and control system integration for regulated production facilities.
How quickly can LAPORTE respond to projects in West Chester?
LAPORTE operates from West Chester, PA. Project engineers are local and can be on-site the same day for urgent needs. For planned projects, we typically mobilize within one to two weeks of authorization.
What types of engineering services does LAPORTE provide?
LAPORTE provides consulting engineering for electrical systems, process automation, instrumentation, control system integration, and power distribution. We handle front-end design through construction support, including validation documentation for FDA-regulated facilities.
Can LAPORTE support projects that require hazardous area classification?
Yes. LAPORTE engineers perform hazardous area classifications per NEC Article 500 and 505 for chemical, pharmaceutical, and food processing environments. We design electrical and instrumentation systems for Class I and Class II hazardous locations.
Does LAPORTE handle both new construction and retrofit projects?
Yes. LAPORTE engineers design for greenfield facilities as well as brownfield upgrades. Many projects in the West Chester area involve modernizing aging control systems or expanding electrical infrastructure in existing production buildings while maintaining ongoing operations.
Is LAPORTE a contractor or an engineering firm?
LAPORTE is a consulting engineering firm, not a contractor. We provide independent engineering design, specifications, and construction administration. We do not self-perform installation work, which allows us to act as an unbiased owner's representative during construction.

Engineering support in nearby areas

Engineering support for West Chester, PA

LAPORTE Consultants
Suite 200, 158 West Gay Street
West Chester, PA 19382
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