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Ignition Studio

Process Engineering as a Commercial Strategy

Nobody in biopharma buys equipment. They buy processes. Process-1st embeds senior process engineering expertise directly into your commercial team.

>45%
Win rate
>30%
Margin
48 hrs
Tier 1 turnaround
$120M+
CapEx executed
Start a conversation
What we do

We put engineers in the room before the sale starts.

Process-1st embeds senior process engineering expertise directly into your commercial team, transforming every customer conversation from a product pitch into a problem-solving partnership.

The result is measurable. Sales teams that operate with embedded process engineering support consistently achieve win rates above 45% at margins above 30%. We built and ran exactly this model over the past 5 years. The methodology is proven. The team is in place.

Start with the customer's process, not your product catalog
Tier 1 feasibility study in 48 hours, before any competitor shows up
CapEx win followed immediately by a 10-year consumables pipeline
No headcount additions required. Runs on a 12-month contract.
How we work

Three tiers. One outcome.

Most engagements start at Tier 1 and progress naturally through to Tier 3. Each tier deepens the customer relationship and expands the scope of the opportunity.

Tier 1

Feasibility Study

48 hrs

48 hours from RFP to deliverable

Process flow diagram
Mass balance calculation
Room layout recommendation
Preliminary equipment list
Delivered before any competitor shows up
Tier 2

Conceptual Design

3-4 wks

Full engineering scope definition. 3 to 4 weeks for delivery.

Detailed P&ID per unit operation
Complete equipment list with gap analysis
Preliminary consumables engineering
CapEx and OpEx cost modeling
ROI analysis and batch cost estimate
Tier 3

Full Integration

3-6 mo

End-to-end execution. 3 to 6 months depending on scope and complexity.

Everything in Tier 2, fully engineered
Facility-wide automation integration
MTP-based plug-and-play connectivity
Bespoke single-use fluid path design
Primary and secondary consumables sourcing

Implementation timeline

Weeks 1 to 3
Vendor mapping sprint: internal workshops, modality mapping, full product overlay built across all relevant process templates.
Month 2
Pilot projects launched: first Tier 1 feasibility studies deployed alongside your sales team on 2 to 3 live opportunities.
Month 3+
Full engagement operational. Win rate impact visible by first closed project. No headcount additions required. Engagement runs on a 12-month contract.
Sales Intelligence Reports

Know the site before you walk in.

Every Ignition Studio engagement is backed by Process-1st Sales Intelligence Reports: facility-level accounts mapped by modality, equipment profile, competitive position, and ranked product opportunity.

Your team walks in with the customer's process already mapped. No guessing. No generic pitch.

See the Site Intelligence Report
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Account-level detail
One report per facility. Not territory summaries or averages.
+
Product-specific signals
Every recommendation ranked by likelihood of need at that exact site.
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Competitive position mapped
Wallet split, incumbent vendors, and stealable positions identified per account.
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Pre-call brief included
One-page brief for every account, ready to use the day of the meeting.
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Executive summary on demand
Situation, opportunity size, risk, and required action in a single view.
Track record

The team behind the methodology.

2 core FTE plus 4 to 8 contractors, scalable to workload.

Founder / CEO

Justin Sweeley, PhD

20 years of hands-on manufacturing and direct sales
$120M+ in large-scale CapEx executed
US, Canada, and Latin America coverage
Deep understanding of customer pain points
>60% win rate, >40% margin, demonstrated
Head of Process Engineering

Process Design SME

10 years of conceptual design execution
50+ completed projects across all modalities
Expert in process flows, mass balances, room layouts
GMP facility construction experience
mAb, AAV, LV, mRNA, pDNA, ADC coverage
Contract Engineering Partners

Automation and Consumable Design

30 years of process automation experience
Hundreds of global facility implementations
45-person team, deployable on demand
Proprietary platform for rapid P&ID generation
Robust consumable platform for design and procurement
The outcome

What changes for you.

Before Ignition Services
Sales team leads with product specs
Low win rate on complex projects leads to margin cutting
CapEx won without a consumables strategy
Buyer-seller dynamic, arm's length relationship
After Ignition Services
Sales team leads with the customer's process
Win rate >45%, 50% higher margin once Ignition Studio deployed
CapEx capture followed by a 10-year consumables pipeline
Partner-partner dynamic, trusted technical advisor
Take the next step

The investment is minimal. The ROI is visible on the first project.

We are ready to deploy. Start with a conversation about your territory, your team, and the accounts you want to win.

Start a conversation
Justin SweeleyFounder, Process-1st LLC