Engineering Scope

Bioprocess Design & Scale-Up

Process definition and scale-up support from development data and vendor information, including mass and energy balances, process flow diagrams, P&IDs, equipment sizing, process narratives, facility layouts, and utility-load models.

Upstream Processing

Media and buffer preparation, sterilization, inoculum expansion, fermentation, cell culture, gas delivery, agitation, temperature control, harvest, and transfer systems for pilot, clinical, demonstration, and commercial production.

Recovery & Purification

Centrifugation, filtration, cell disruption, extraction, precipitation, chromatography, membrane processing, concentration, formulation, crystallization, and drying systems matched to the product and process basis.

Clean Utilities & MEP

Purified water, clean steam, process gases, compressed air, chilled water, steam, CIP, SIP, HVAC, plumbing, and wastewater systems coordinated with batch schedules, contamination control, and variable scale-up demand.

Containment & Facility Planning

Facility layouts, HVAC zoning, pressure relationships, material and personnel flows, segregation, decontamination interfaces, and support-space planning for controlled bioprocess and laboratory environments.

Electrical Power Engineering

Low- and medium-voltage distribution, emergency power, transformers, switchgear, MCCs, equipment power, grounding, lighting, and power-system studies for process, utility, laboratory, and controlled-environment loads.

Controls, Automation & Data

PLC, HMI, SCADA, ISA-88-aligned batch control, recipe management, instrumentation, historian, alarm management, and network architecture, including OEM integration, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and risk-based validation documentation where required. Bioprocess assignments can add IDMZ-aware OT network design, control-panel build and field installation, structured as a fixed-fee scope or T&M work with project management.

Pilot & Demonstration Facilities

Flexible pilot and demonstration facilities with modular equipment, configurable utilities, sampling, data collection, safe material flows, and space for process changes, followed by front-end and detailed engineering for commercial deployment.

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Plant and Facility Work near West Chester, PA

Biopharmaceuticals Food & Feed Biotechnology Biobased Chemicals Biofuels Cultivated Products Pilot & Demonstration Plants

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 fermentation, cell-culture, and downstream biotech operations across process, MEP, electrical, and automation disciplines. Upstream and downstream processing, clean utilities, containment, power, and ISA-88-aligned automation are coordinated from pilot through commercial scale, with risk-based validation documentation where required.
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
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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

What biotechnology processes does LAPORTE support?
LAPORTE supports fermentation, cell culture, media and buffer preparation, harvest, separation, purification, concentration, formulation, drying, clean utilities, laboratories, electrical systems, automation, and facility infrastructure across life science and industrial biotechnology.
Can LAPORTE scale a biotechnology process?
Yes. LAPORTE can translate development data, process requirements, and vendor information into balances, PFDs, P&IDs, equipment and utility criteria, layouts, controls, and phased facility designs. Scale-up assumptions are documented and tied to available evidence.
What downstream processing can LAPORTE engineer?
LAPORTE engineers recovery and purification systems that can include centrifugation, depth and membrane filtration, cell disruption, extraction, precipitation, chromatography, concentration, formulation, crystallization, and drying.
Does LAPORTE design clean and process utilities?
Yes. LAPORTE can integrate purified water, clean steam, process gases, compressed air, chilled water, steam, CIP, SIP, HVAC, plumbing, and wastewater with the production schedule and contamination-control strategy.
Can LAPORTE automate and commission biotechnology processes?
LAPORTE can develop PLC, HMI, SCADA, batch and recipe controls, instrumentation, historians, alarms, and networks, then support OEM integration, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and risk-based documentation appropriate to the regulatory and quality context.

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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