Consulting for complex production projects
Consultants who own, operate and execute beverage facilities
Solon Consulting helps owners, operators, and technical teams bring complex beverage, food, automation, and manufacturing projects from early planning through commissioning and operating support.
One accountable technical partner
Project ownership from planning through commissioning
Manufacturing projects fail when business goals, equipment quotes, utility loads, process flow, controls, construction, and startup plans move in separate lanes. Solon gives the owner a practical technical view across those decisions.
| Planning | scope, feasibility, facility size, budget realism |
| Engineering | layout, utilities, process flow, sanitary design |
| Execution | equipment, vendor review, controls, commissioning |
| Operations | SOPs, startup support, troubleshooting, training |
Technical Consulting Across the Full Production Lifecycle
Solon Consulting works directly with owners, operators, and project teams on the technical decisions that determine whether a production facility gets built right, starts up on schedule, and runs the way it was designed to. That means engaging on feasibility before anything is purchased, reviewing engineering before anything is specified wrong, and staying through commissioning until the equipment actually runs.
Feasibility & Planning
Before a dollar is committed to equipment or construction, Solon evaluates whether the project is physically achievable, financially realistic, and technically coherent. Scope definition, facility sizing, utility load analysis, process flow development, and budget realism, with independent judgment not tied to any vendor or contractor.
Engineering Review & Specification
Equipment selection and vendor quotes require someone who has evaluated the same categories of machinery across dozens of real projects. Solon reviews specifications, identifies gaps in vendor proposals, and ensures that what gets purchased matches what the process actually requires, not what the sales representative recommended.
Commissioning & Startup Support
Commissioning is where projects that looked good on paper either hold together or fall apart. Solon manages startup sequencing, coordinates punch-list resolution, develops operator training, and provides on-site technical support through the first production runs, staying until the facility is producing to specification.
Why Projects Bring in an Independent Technical Consultant
Most production projects reach a point where the internal team or the general contractor needs someone who has seen these problems before and can give an honest technical assessment. These are the situations Solon is called into most often.
Equipment that does not match the process
A vendor quote describes a machine. It does not describe whether that machine fits the space, connects to the utilities available, meets the throughput required, or integrates with the rest of the line. Solon reviews the full picture, not the individual line item.
Startup that keeps getting pushed back
Delays at startup typically trace back to commissioning plans that were never developed, punchlist items that were not tracked, and equipment that was accepted before it was proven. Solon builds the startup sequence before the equipment arrives and manages it through to first production.
Engineering decisions made in the wrong order
When equipment is purchased before utilities are sized, or when utilities are sized before the process flow is defined, the project locks in cost problems early. Solon engages at the planning stage to establish the technical sequence before decisions harden.
No single technical owner
Architects, contractors, equipment vendors, and operations teams each own a piece of the project. None of them owns the whole. Solon acts as the owner’s technical representative, the one party accountable for making sure all the pieces connect and the facility actually runs.
Choose the right entry point
Find the page that matches the project in front of you
Beverage and brewing projects
Startup planning, expansion, utilities, production cleanup, recipes, equipment, and commissioning for beverage operations.
Food and manufacturing
Process manufacturing support for layout, production flow, sanitary systems, documentation, and operating readiness.
Automation and controls
PLC, HMI, SCADA, control panels, network architecture, FAT/SAT, commissioning, and operator handoff.
Commissioning and recovery
Project management, startup sequencing, punch-list control, training, troubleshooting, and production stabilization.
Proof belongs close to the work
Wave 1 moves proof out of isolated archive pages and routes it back into the service pages where buyers are making decisions.
Project Types and Industries
Solon has worked across beverage, food processing, industrial manufacturing, and process industries. The common thread is not the industry, it is the type of problem: a production project where technical decisions need to be made correctly, in order, by someone who is not selling anything.
Craft Beverage
Breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries, and kombucha producers. Startup site selection through production system commissioning and recipe scale-up.
Food & Beverage Manufacturing
Commercial food production facilities, co-manufacturing operations, and beverage bottling lines. Sanitary design, process flow, and regulatory-ready documentation.
Industrial & Process
Process manufacturing with automation, controls, and SCADA requirements. PLC programming, HMI design, controls integration, and operator handoff documentation.
Expansion & Recovery
Existing operations expanding production capacity, addressing bottlenecks, recovering from a failed startup, or rebuilding a production process that did not perform as designed.
How a Solon Engagement Works
Solon does not manage a team of junior consultants. Every engagement is handled directly. That means the person reviewing your equipment quote, evaluating your utility plan, and standing on-site during commissioning is the same person with direct experience in production facility projects.
Starting Point
Most engagements begin with a project review conversation, a focused discussion of where the project stands, what decisions are still open, and where the technical risk is highest. There is no standard intake form. The starting point is whatever the project actually needs next.
Scope and Duration
Engagements range from a single equipment review session to full project lifecycle support from pre-feasibility through commissioning. Solon does not require long-term retainers for early-stage work, the scope expands as the project advances and more decisions require technical oversight.
Independence
Solon has no vendor relationships, no referral arrangements, and no financial interest in any particular equipment manufacturer, contractor, or supplier. Recommendations are based entirely on what the project requires, not on what generates a commission or a preferred vendor relationship.
Deliverables
Depending on the project stage, deliverables may include feasibility assessments, equipment specification reviews, process flow documentation, startup checklists, commissioning reports, SOP drafts, and operator training materials. The output is calibrated to what the owner actually needs to move the project forward.
Bring the project into focus before decisions harden
Share the project stage, what has already been decided, and where the technical risk is starting to show up. Solon will help you identify the next practical move.