Engineering Scope

Food Process Engineering

Process definition from raw-material receiving through batching, cooking, thermal treatment, separation, cooling, filling, and finished-product handling. Deliverables can include mass balances, process flow diagrams, P&IDs, equipment sizing, layouts, and operating narratives.

Sanitary Facility Design

Hygienic equipment layouts, sanitary piping, drainage, zoning, and cleanable facility details for FDA- and USDA-regulated production environments. Designs can apply relevant 3-A sanitary principles and owner standards based on product risk and cleaning strategy.

Clean-in-Place Systems

CIP system assessments and design, including circuits, return hydraulics, chemical dosing, heat transfer, recovery, instrumentation, recipes, and sequence controls. LAPORTE coordinates cleaning requirements with process equipment, sanitary piping, utilities, and production schedules.

Plant Utilities & MEP

Boilers, hot water, steam, refrigeration, chilled water, compressed air, process water, HVAC, plumbing, and wastewater systems sized and distributed around production demand, sanitation loads, food-safety zoning, and maintenance access.

Industrial Electrical Engineering

Electrical distribution for process equipment, utilities, cold storage, and packaging operations, including switchgear, transformers, MCCs, panelboards, equipment power, lighting, grounding, backup power, and studies required for applicable NEC and NFPA compliance.

Controls & Automation

PLC, HMI, SCADA, batching, recipe, historian, and production-data integration across process systems and OEM equipment. Scope can include controls architecture, instrumentation, ISA-88-aligned sequencing, alarm management, FAT/SAT, and startup support. Food and beverage work can extend to Purdue-model network design, UL 508A panel build and field installation, using fixed-fee or T&M delivery with project management.

Packaging & Material Handling

Line layouts and integration for filling, inspection, labeling, cartoning, case packing, conveying, palletizing, and warehousing. LAPORTE coordinates equipment interfaces, utilities, controls, guarding, access, and construction phasing for new or relocated lines.

Capital Project Delivery

Concept studies, capacity analysis, front-end engineering, detailed design, procurement support, construction administration, commissioning, and production startup for greenfield plants, expansions, line transfers, and brownfield upgrades.

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Plant and Facility Work near West Chester, PA

Beverages Prepared & Frozen Foods Bakery, Snacks & Confectionery Produce & Protein Processing Food Ingredients Specialty Food Products

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 FDA- and USDA-regulated food and beverage plants across process, MEP, electrical, and automation disciplines. Sanitary process, CIP, utilities, power, automation, and packaging integration are coordinated for greenfield plants, expansions, line transfers, and brownfield upgrades, with food-safety zoning built in.
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
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 food and beverage engineering services does LAPORTE provide?
LAPORTE supports process design, sanitary piping, CIP, refrigeration and plant utilities, HVAC and plumbing, electrical distribution, controls and automation, packaging integration, construction support, commissioning, and startup for food and beverage facilities.
Can LAPORTE support sanitary and 3-A design requirements?
Yes. LAPORTE designs hygienic process systems and facility interfaces using applicable food regulations, sanitary design principles, owner standards, and product-specific cleaning requirements. Depending on the process, this can include relevant 3-A practices, sanitary piping, drainage, zoning, and CIP.
Does LAPORTE provide controls integration for food plants?
Yes. LAPORTE integrates process equipment, OEM skids, PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, recipe and batch controls, instrumentation, networks, and production data systems. Services can extend through control narratives, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and production startup.
Can LAPORTE support expansions in an operating food plant?
Yes. Brownfield projects can include field investigation, capacity studies, phased utility and electrical upgrades, equipment relocation, line integration, shutdown planning, construction administration, and startup while accounting for ongoing production and sanitation needs.
How does LAPORTE coordinate process and plant utilities?
LAPORTE coordinates process demand with refrigeration, steam, hot water, chilled water, compressed air, process water, HVAC, plumbing, electrical power, and wastewater systems. This multidisciplinary approach helps identify capacity and interface requirements early.

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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