Engineering Consultant for Process Manufacturing
Mechanical, electrical, process, and controls support for beverage, food, industrial, and federal facilities.
SDVOSB CERTIFIED | SAM.GOV REGISTERED | VETERAN-OWNED | MINORITY-OWNED (HISPANIC AMERICAN)
Engineering Consultant for Process Manufacturing Across Every Discipline
Solon’s engineering consultant services cover mechanical, process, electrical, and controls disciplines across brewery, distillery, winery, food manufacturing, industrial, and federal facility scopes.
Each industry has a dedicated page for detailed scope: Brewery Consultant, Food and Beverage Consultant, and SDVOSB Engineering Consulting.
Your Engineering Consultant for Breweries, Distilleries, and Beyond
Solon Consulting is an engineering consultant for breweries, distilleries, wineries, food manufacturers, and industrial facilities. Our engineering team covers mechanical, process, electrical, and structural disciplines, giving you a single accountable partner for projects that require multi-discipline coordination rather than a fragmented roster of specialists who don’t talk to each other.
Engineering consulting for beverage and food manufacturing is different from general industrial engineering. The combination of food-grade material requirements, sanitary design standards, process control integration, utility system design, and regulatory compliance creates a specialized scope that general engineering firms routinely underestimate. A brewery glycol system is not the same as a commercial HVAC chiller. A distillery electrical classification is not the same as a standard industrial panel design. The tolerances, materials, codes, and operational realities are fundamentally different. The engineering has to reflect that from day one.
New facility construction, capacity expansion, utility upgrades, and multi-discipline equipment installations all demand the same engineering consulting approach: understand the process first, design systems around actual operational requirements, coordinate across disciplines before drawings are issued, and deliver documentation that contractors can execute without ambiguity. That methodology is what separates engineering consulting from drafting services. That distinction is what prevents the costly rework, schedule delays, and performance gaps that result from inadequate engineering.
We work directly with facility owners, operations managers, and project teams to deliver engineering packages that are buildable, code-compliant, and designed for actual production, not theoretical ones. Every project begins with a thorough understanding of your production process, utility infrastructure, and operational goals before a single drawing is started. This approach eliminates the redesign cycles and change orders that plague projects when engineering is treated as a commodity.
Engineering Disciplines for Beverage and Process Facilities
Every beverage or food manufacturing project touches multiple engineering disciplines. We coordinate across all four so your project is designed as a unified, not a collection of disconnected drawings from different firms.
Mechanical Engineering for Breweries
Mechanical system design for beverage manufacturing covers glycol refrigeration, compressed air, process steam, hot water, and HVAC systems. We size and specify equipment based on actual production, not catalog defaults. Glycol systems are designed around your fermentation vessel count, target temperatures, ambient conditions, and future expansion plans. Compressed air systems account for valve actuation, packaging line demand, and air quality requirements for product-contact applications.
Steam and hot water systems are designed for CIP supply, kettle heating, pasteurization, and sanitation requirements. HVAC design addresses production floor temperature and humidity control, fermentation hall cooling loads, barrel storage climate requirements, and tasting room or taproom comfort conditioning. Every mechanical system is coordinated with electrical and structural disciplines to ensure adequate power supply, equipment foundations, and routing clearances.
Process Engineering for Breweries
Process engineering for breweries and distilleries covers the design and optimization of your production workflow from raw material intake through packaging. We develop process flow diagrams (PFDs), piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), and equipment specifications that reflect your actual production, not generic templates pulled from a textbook.
This includes CIP system design, process piping layout and material specifications (304 vs. 316L stainless, tri-clamp vs. threaded connections), tank sizing and configuration, heat exchanger selection, and utility tie-in coordination. For distilleries, process engineering also encompasses still column design review, spirit safe integration, and fermentation-to-distillation workflow optimization. Our process engineering services are built around how your facility actually operates.
Electrical Engineering for Breweries
Electrical engineering for beverage manufacturing covers power distribution design, load calculations, panel schedules, motor control center specifications, lighting design, and hazardous area classification. Distilleries and facilities handling flammable liquids require electrical classification per NFPA 30 and NEC Article 500/505. This is not optional, and getting it wrong creates both code violations and genuine safety hazards.
We design electrical systems that account for production equipment motor loads, VFD installations, control panel power requirements, lighting levels for production and packaging areas, and emergency power provisions. Hazardous area classification drawings define the extent of Class I Division 1 and Division 2 zones around stills, spirit tanks, and bottling, with equipment specifications that match the classification. Our electrical designs coordinate with automation and controls engineering to ensure seamless integration of PLCs, HMIs, and instrumentation.
Structural Engineering
Structural engineering for beverage manufacturing addresses equipment foundations, mezzanine design, building modifications, and seismic considerations. Fermentation tanks, bright tanks, and distillation columns impose significant point loads that require proper foundation, not just a flat slab assumption. Mezzanines for grain handling, tank access platforms, and packaging line support structures all require structural analysis and stamped drawings.
When facilities expand into existing buildings, structural assessment determines whether the existing structure can support new equipment loads, roof penetrations for ventilation, and wall openings for equipment access. We provide structural calculations, connection details, and construction drawings that contractors can build from without guesswork. Our structural work integrates with mechanical and electrical routing to avoid conflicts during construction.
Industries We Engineer For
As an engineering consultant for breweries and food manufacturers, our services are built around the specific requirements of each industry we serve. Every sector has unique codes, materials, equipment, and operational realities that shape the engineering approach.
Engineering Consultant for Craft & Commercial Breweries
Brewery engineering projects range from greenfield buildouts to production expansions and equipment upgrades. We design glycol refrigeration systems sized for actual fermentation loads, compressed air systems for packaging line operation, steam systems for brewhouse heating, and electrical distribution for motor-driven equipment. Our brewery consulting services cover everything from initial concept through commissioning.
Distilleries
Distillery engineering requires specialized expertise in hazardous area electrical classification, still installation specifications, vapor management, and flammable liquid handling. We provide NFPA 30-compliant facility design, NEC Article 500/505 electrical classification, and process engineering for fermentation-through-bottling workflows. Our distillery consulting team understands the unique regulatory and safety requirements of spirit production.
Wineries
Winery engineering covers cellar refrigeration system design, crush pad utility infrastructure, bottling line mechanical and electrical, barrel storage climate control, and tasting room integration. We design systems that handle the seasonal production peaks unique to wine production while maintaining efficiency during off-season operations. Our winery consulting services address the full facility lifecycle.
Food & Beverage Manufacturers
Food and beverage manufacturing engineering encompasses process line design, CIP system engineering, sanitary piping specifications, packaging line integration, and utility system design for production facilities. We engineer facilities that meet FDA, USDA, and 3-A sanitary standards while maximizing production throughput and operational efficiency. Our manufacturing consulting services cover the complete engineering scope.
Pharmaceutical & Nutraceutical
Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical facility engineering requires cleanroom HVAC design, process utility specifications, GMP-compliant layout planning, and validated system design. We engineer facilities that meet cGMP requirements from the mechanical, electrical, and process, ensuring your facility passes validation without costly retrofits.
Federal & Government Facilities
As an SDVOSB-certified and SAM.gov-registered firm, we provide engineering consulting for federal food service facilities, commissary operations, and government production facilities. Our veteran-owned status qualifies for sole-source and set-aside contracting, and our engineering team understands the documentation and compliance standards required for federal projects.
How Your Engineering Consultant for Breweries Works
When you hire an engineering consultant for breweries, distilleries, or food manufacturing, the engagement follows a structured process designed to eliminate ambiguity, prevent scope creep, and deliver drawings and specifications that contractors can build from without interpretation.
1. Discovery and Scope Definition for Breweries
Every project begins with a detailed review of your facility, production process, and project objectives. We conduct site visits, review existing drawings and equipment documentation, and define the engineering scope with clear deliverables, timelines, and budget. This phase eliminates the ambiguity that causes scope creep and change orders later.
2. Engineering Design & Documentation
Our engineering team develops the complete drawing and specification package across all required disciplines. Mechanical, electrical, structural, and process drawings are coordinated internally before issue, eliminating the conflicts that occur when separate firms produce disconnected documents. Design reviews are conducted at 30%, 60%, and 90% milestones.
3. Bid Support & Contractor Coordination
Engineering drawings are only as good as the construction they produce. We support your contractor bidding process with specification clarifications, pre-bid meetings, and technical evaluations of contractor proposals. This ensures contractors understand the design intent and their bids accurately reflect the scope of, reducing the risk of low-ball bids that lead to change orders during construction.
4. Construction Administration & Commissioning
During construction, we provide submittal reviews, RFI responses, site observations, and commissioning support to ensure the facility is built according to the engineering design. Commissioning verifies that all systems operate as designed: glycol temperatures, electrical loads, process flows, and control sequences are all tested and documented before the facility enters production.
What Sets Our Engineering Consultant for Breweries Apart
Multi-Discipline Brewery Engineering Coordination
Most facility projects require mechanical, electrical, structural, and process engineering. When these disciplines are handled by separate firms, coordination gaps create conflicts during construction. Pipe routes that clash with conduit runs, equipment that doesn’t fit the structural openings, control systems that aren’t wired for the installed instruments. We handle all four disciplines internally so the drawings are coordinated before they leave our office.
Brewery and Beverage Industry Expertise
General engineering firms treat every facility the same. A brewery is not a warehouse. A distillery is not a manufacturing plant. The equipment, materials, codes, and operational requirements are fundamentally different. Our team engineers specifically for beverage and food manufacturing. We understand sanitary design, food-grade materials, process control integration, and the regulatory landscape that governs these facilities.
Buildable Drawings
Engineering drawings exist to communicate design intent to contractors. If a contractor has to call the engineer to ask what a drawing means, the drawing failed. Our deliverables include clear details, complete specifications, and construction notes that eliminate ambiguity. We design for constructability, not just code compliance, because a technically correct drawing that can’t be built efficiently is a failure.
Veteran-Owned & SDVOSB Certified
Solon Consulting is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) registered on SAM.gov, providing engineering consulting to breweries, distilleries, and food manufacturers, and certified for federal contracting. For government projects and facilities that require or prefer veteran-owned engineering firms, we provide the technical capability and the certification status. Our minority-owned (Hispanic American) designation provides additional qualification for diversity contracting requirements.
Our engineering consulting services are built on a straightforward premise: beverage and food manufacturers deserve the same caliber of engineering that large industrial facilities receive, delivered by engineers who actually understand how production facilities operate. We bring the technical rigor of large-firm engineering with the responsiveness and accessibility of a specialized practice.
Common Brewery and Distillery Engineering Projects
Every facility has different engineering requirements, but as an engineering consultant for breweries and food manufacturers, we see certain project types recur regularly. Here are the engineering projects we handle most frequently and what each one involves.
Brewery and Distillery Greenfield Buildouts
New facility construction requires full multi-discipline engineering from site utility connections through interior production layout. We develop the complete engineering package: mechanical systems including glycol, steam, compressed air, and HVAC; electrical power distribution and lighting; structural foundations and mezzanines; and process piping and equipment layout. The engineering package is sequenced to support permitting timelines and phased construction schedules.
Brewery and Beverage Production Expansions
Expanding production capacity in an existing facility is more complex than building new because every system change affects existing operations. Adding fermentation tanks requires glycol system capacity analysis. New packaging lines demand electrical load studies. Additional process equipment needs structural evaluation for floor loading. We engineer expansion projects that integrate with your existing infrastructure without disrupting current production during construction.
Utility System Upgrades
Utility systems are the backbone of any production facility. When glycol chillers are undersized, compressed air pressure drops during peak demand, or electrical panels are at capacity, production suffers. We evaluate existing utility systems against current and projected production loads, then engineer targeted upgrades that solve the problem without over-building. This includes chiller replacements, boiler upgrades, air compressor additions, transformer sizing, and distribution piping modifications.
Equipment Installation Engineering
New equipment installations require more than just setting a piece of equipment on the floor. Structural analysis confirms the floor or foundation can support the load. Mechanical engineering addresses utility connections: glycol, steam, water, drain, and compressed air. Electrical engineering covers power supply, motor starters, VFDs, and control wiring. Process engineering defines the piping connections and instrument integration. We produce the complete installation package so your contractor has everything needed to install the equipment correctly the first time.
Hazardous Area Classification
Distilleries and facilities handling flammable liquids require hazardous area electrical classification per NFPA 30 and NEC Article 500/505. This engineering work defines the extent of Class I Division 1 and Division 2 zones around stills, spirit storage tanks, bottling lines, and barrel warehouses. All electrical equipment within classified zones must be rated for the hazard classification. Standard equipment in a classified zone is a code violation and a genuine explosion risk. We produce classification drawings with zone boundaries, equipment schedules, and installation specifications.
Automation & Controls Integration
Modern beverage manufacturing facilities increasingly rely on automated process control for consistency, efficiency, and data collection. Engineering consulting for automation covers PLC and HMI specification, instrument selection and installation details, control panel design, network architecture, and integration with existing production systems. Our automation and controls engineering services work hand-in-hand with the mechanical and electrical engineering to deliver systems that are fully integrated from sensor to server.
Engineering Consultant for Breweries: Frequently Asked Questions
What does an engineering consultant do for a brewery or distillery?
An engineering consultant for a brewery or distillery designs the mechanical, electrical, structural, and process systems that make your facility function. This includes glycol refrigeration design, electrical power distribution, equipment foundations, process piping layouts, and utility system specifications. The engineering consultant produces stamped drawings and specifications that contractors use to build or modify your facility, ensuring code compliance, operational efficiency, and constructability.
How much does engineering consulting cost for a brewery project?
Engineering consulting fees for brewery and distillery projects vary based on project scope, facility size, and the number of engineering disciplines required. A single-discipline project like an electrical panel upgrade will cost significantly less than a full multi-discipline buildout package. We provide fixed-fee proposals after an initial scope review so you know exactly what the engineering will cost before work begins. No hourly billing surprises or open-ended retainers.
Do I need an engineer to open a brewery or distillery?
In most jurisdictions, yes. Building permits for commercial beverage production facilities require stamped engineering drawings for structural modifications, electrical systems, plumbing, and mechanical installations. Distilleries have additional requirements for hazardous area electrical classification under NFPA 30 and NEC Article 500/505. Beyond code requirements, proper engineering prevents costly mistakes during construction: equipment that doesn’t fit, utilities that are undersized, and systems that don’t integrate properly.
What is the difference between an engineering consultant and a general contractor?
An engineering consultant designs the systems and produces the drawings and specifications. A general contractor builds from those drawings. The engineering consultant determines what gets built and how it should perform; the contractor executes the physical construction. Hiring an engineering consultant before engaging a contractor ensures your project is fully designed, properly specified, and competitively biddable, rather than relying on a contractor to design and build simultaneously, which typically results in higher costs and compromised performance.
Can you engineer projects for facilities outside your local area?
Yes. Engineering consulting is not limited by geography. We work with facilities across the United States and coordinate with local contractors, permitting authorities, and inspection agencies as needed. Site visits are conducted for initial assessment and critical construction milestones. The majority of engineering design work, including drawings, calculations, specifications, and and coordination, is performed remotely using current design tools and communication platforms.
What engineering deliverables will I receive?
Engineering deliverables typically include stamped construction drawings (mechanical, electrical, structural, and process as applicable), equipment specifications, design calculations, and a written project manual. Depending on scope, you may also receive process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), electrical panel schedules, load calculations, equipment foundation details, and commissioning procedures. Every deliverable is formatted for contractor use and permit submission.
How long does the engineering design process take?
Engineering design timelines depend on project scope and complexity. A single-discipline project like an electrical panel upgrade or glycol system redesign typically requires four to eight weeks from kickoff to issued-for-construction drawings. Full multi-discipline facility buildouts with mechanical, electrical, structural, and process engineering can take three to six months depending on facility size and design complexity. We establish specific milestone dates during the scope definition phase so you can coordinate your construction schedule and equipment procurement accordingly.
What codes and standards apply to brewery and distillery engineering?
Brewery and distillery projects are governed by multiple codes and standards depending on the engineering discipline and facility type. Structural work follows the International Building Code (IBC) and local amendments. Electrical design complies with the National Electrical Code (NEC), with distilleries requiring additional compliance with NFPA 30 for flammable liquid handling and NEC Article 500 or 505 for hazardous area classification. Mechanical systems follow ASME standards for pressure vessels, ASHRAE guidelines for HVAC, and IIAR standards for ammonia refrigeration where applicable. Food-contact surfaces and sanitary piping follow 3-A Sanitary Standards and FDA food safety requirements. We ensure every engineering deliverable references the applicable codes and meets the requirements of your local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).
Do you provide stamped engineering drawings?
Yes. All engineering deliverables are reviewed and stamped by licensed Professional Engineers (PE). Stamped drawings are required for building permit applications, contractor bidding, and construction documentation. Our PE-stamped packages include construction drawings, design calculations, equipment specifications, and project manuals as required by the project scope and local permitting requirements.
Related Engineering Services
Automation & Controls Engineering · Process Engineering · Facility Engineering & Design · Industrial Automation Consulting
Need an Engineering Consultant for Your Brewery?
Contact Solon Consulting to discuss your engineering project. We will review your requirements and tell you directly what the work involves, what it will cost, and how long it will take. No sales pitch, no vague proposals, no pressure. Just a straightforward technical conversation about your facility and what the engineering scope should look like.