Engineering Scope

Manufacturing Facility Planning

Programming, equipment layouts, material and personnel flows, utility matrices, space planning, and phased design for production, warehouse, laboratory, maintenance, and support areas in greenfield and existing facilities.

Process Utilities

Process utility engineering for compressed air, vacuum, process gases, industrial water, cooling water, chilled water, steam, exhaust, dust collection, and waste systems, including distribution, points of use, capacity, redundancy, and maintainability.

Electrical Power Engineering

Low- and medium-voltage distribution, utility service, substations, transformers, switchgear, MCCs, busway, equipment power, grounding, lighting, emergency power, and power-system studies for production and facility loads.

Controls & Automation

PLC, HMI, SCADA, machine and line integration, instrumentation, historian, alarm management, network architecture, and production-data interfaces, with control panels specified for applicable UL 508A and NEC requirements. For connected cells and lines, the scope can include Purdue-model OT segmentation, rack and switch configuration, UL 508A panel build and installation, delivered at fixed-fee or T&M with project management.

MEP & Controlled Environments

HVAC, plumbing, fire-protection coordination, specialty exhaust, temperature and humidity control, pressure relationships, and controlled-environment systems for manufacturing, laboratories, clean spaces, offices, and warehouses.

Material Handling & Robotics

Conveyors, automated storage and retrieval, sortation, pick-and-place, robotics, machine tending, inspection, packaging, palletizing, and warehouse interfaces coordinated with structure, guarding, utilities, power, controls, and egress.

Brownfield Modernization

Equipment relocation, line balancing, capacity expansion, utility tie-ins, electrical upgrades, control-system migration, shutdown planning, phased construction, commissioning, and startup support in operating plants.

Capital Project Delivery

Concept studies, front-end engineering, detailed design, procurement support, equipment-vendor coordination, construction administration, commissioning, and turnover across process, architectural, structural, MEP, electrical, and automation disciplines.

Have a plant project to scope?

Describe the operating constraint or project goal. An engineer can help define the next step.

☎ Call (484) 301-2042 ✉ Send Project Details

Plant and Facility Work near West Chester, PA

High Technology & Electronics Batteries & Fuel Cells Consumer Products Logistics & Distribution Building Materials Heavy Industry

Local and Project Context near West Chester, PA

Six US Offices
Project teams work from six US offices: West Chester PA (headquarters), Columbus OH, Chicago IL, Rochester NY, Durham NC, and Denver CO. That footprint supports site visits, construction support, and commissioning across the country.
PE-Licensed in 21 States
LAPORTE Professional Engineers are licensed in 21 US states. Deliverables are stamped and sealed for permitting, insurance, and regulatory review wherever the facility is located.
Sector-Specific Engineering
LAPORTE engineers high-technology, battery, and consumer-product plants across process, MEP, electrical, and automation disciplines. Facility planning, process utilities, power, controls, and MEP are coordinated for greenfield builds and brownfield modernization, including line relocations, capacity expansions, and phased work in operating plants.
Regulated-Industry Documentation
Work is built around the codes and documentation these facilities run under, from NEC and NFPA to FDA, USDA, and cGMP requirements, so deliverables hold up to permitting and audit review.

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
Connect on LinkedIn
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

What advanced manufacturing engineering services does LAPORTE provide?
LAPORTE supports facility planning, process utilities, HVAC, plumbing, electrical distribution, controls and automation, material handling, robotics interfaces, controlled environments, construction support, commissioning, and brownfield modernization.
Can LAPORTE engineer process utilities for production equipment?
Yes. LAPORTE can define utility loads and coordinate compressed air, vacuum, process gases, industrial water, cooling water, chilled water, steam, exhaust, dust collection, and waste systems from source through equipment connections.
Does LAPORTE integrate manufacturing controls and automation?
Yes. LAPORTE integrates PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, instruments, OEM machines, line controls, networks, historians, alarms, and production-data interfaces. Services can include control narratives, panel specifications, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and startup.
Can LAPORTE support equipment and production line installations?
Yes. LAPORTE coordinates equipment layouts, foundations and structure, utilities, power, controls, guarding, material flow, access, egress, demolition, phased tie-ins, construction administration, and startup for new or relocated production lines.
How does LAPORTE approach brownfield manufacturing projects?
LAPORTE begins with field verification and a capacity assessment, then develops phased process utility, MEP, electrical, and automation upgrades around production constraints. Shutdown planning, temporary services, commissioning, and turnover can be included.

Engineering support in nearby areas

Engineering support for West Chester, PA

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

Talk to an Engineer About Your Project

Share the facility issue, upgrade, or project scope you're evaluating. We'll route it to an engineer and let you know if it's a fit.