How We Installed 24 Bioreactors in Just 4 Weeks (NY Pharma)

R. Baker & Son recently completed a complex pharmaceutical equipment installation project after receiving a referral from a senior process engineer at a leading New Jersey design firm. The project involved installing 24 bioreactors with associated platforms and support equipment for a well-known process equipment vendor specializing in pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturing systems.

Project Scope and Initial Coordination After the bioreactors completed their Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), they were packaged and shipped to a new pharmaceutical facility in upstate New York. Our team held multiple coordination meetings with the equipment vendor and construction manager to plan the delivery logistics and installation timeline.

The building's process area featured early completion with epoxy flooring, providing an ideal foundation for receiving the new bioreactors and associated equipment. Before rigging and assembly began, our team precisely laid out all equipment locations, verified them through the BIM (Building Information Modeling) model, and confirmed measurements using laser technology.

Bioreactor Installation Challenges The project presented several technical challenges beyond the bioreactor installation itself. Our scope included: 24 pharmaceutical bioreactors Interconnecting platforms and access systems Stairs and safety railings Remote control panels Power distribution panels

All process equipment arrived at the loading dock on flatbed trailers. R. Baker deployed a strategic combination of equipment, including several smaller, versatile rubber-tired forklifts alongside two large Versalift counterweight forklifts equipped with specialized attachments. This equipment configuration allowed our team to handle heavier loads and utilize extended boom reach to position and set equipment according to pre-coordinated specifications.

Working in close collaboration with the vendor, we successfully rigged, set, and assembled all 24 bioreactors with their associated platforms and miscellaneous equipment within the four-week timeframe.

Phase Two: Process Utility Equipment Installation Based on our safe, efficient, and on-time completion of the initial bioreactor installation, the construction manager contracted R. Baker for the second phase: installing process utility equipment. This phase included: Three large air compressors with associated dryers One large clean steam generator Two large CIP (Clean-in-Place) skids One large RODI (Reverse Osmosis Deionization) skid with associated tanks, control panels, and semi-permeable membranes

Multi-Story Rigging Operations This phase required lifting process utility equipment to the second, third, and fourth floors through an exterior building opening. Our team utilized an 80-ton hydraulic crane with an extended boom, new slings, and chain hoists to lift equipment from flatbeds to designated floors. Once inside, we moved equipment using skates and Johnson bars through corridors to pre-marked locations.

To maintain the aggressive project schedule, several process utility vendors hired Baker's experienced riggers and millwrights to: Set and anchor equipment in place Interconnect equipment tanks and support racks Install heat exchangers Connect standalone control panels and miscellaneous support equipment

Project Completion and Additional Services At project completion, R. Baker was also asked to assist with decommissioning an old RODI system and removing four associated 1,000-gallon tanks designated to be refurbished.

Client Satisfaction and Industry Expertise Our clients expressed high satisfaction with the completed pharmaceutical equipment installation project. We appreciated the referrals and the confidence placed in the R. Baker team throughout this important installation.

R. Baker & Son's expertise in pharmaceutical and process equipment installation, combined with our skilled riggers, millwrights, and advanced rigging equipment, ensures safe, efficient project completion for complex industrial installations.

About R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services

R. Baker & Son All Industrial Services, a Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE), in business since 1935, is a premier specialized contractor operating in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, with over one hundred employees and an exemplary safety record (we have been directly involved in six sites that received VPP OSHA Safety Awards). R. Baker & Son is financially strong, with bonding capabilities of over $20 million. Capabilities include industrial and commercial demolition, rigging, machinery- and plant-moving, dismantling, decommissioning, plant and equipment relocation, interior demolition, selective demolition, warehousing, wrecking and razing, millwright, plant reconfigurations, heavy rigging, salvage, environmental services, remediation, decontamination, abatement, and investment and asset recovery.

R. Baker & Son - Rigging & Demoliton Contractors
190 Boundary Road
Marlboro, NJ 07746
732-222-3553

https://www.rbaker.com/rigging-services.php