MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Burns & McDonnell has been selected as the engineer-procure-construct (EPC) provider for BioMADE’s first demonstration-scale facility within its Pilot Plant Network. The facility, in Maple Grove, Minnesota, is designed to help move biotechnology from the laboratory to U.S. manufacturing, a step toward bringing production, jobs, and supply chain strength back to the United States.
BioMADE’s Pilot Plant Network is designed to give innovators access to shared manufacturing space and equipment they may not be able to build on their own. The Maple Grove site is planned to operate like a contract development and manufacturing organization, enabling companies and organizations to demonstrate and refine processes on shared equipment before moving to full commercial production.
The 122,000-square-foot facility will transform an existing commercial structure into a flexible, multiproduct bioindustrial manufacturing environment supporting fermentation and downstream processing technologies from lab scale to 25,000 liters, with provisions for future expansion. Designed with advanced security and safety features and capabilities, the Minnesota facility will focus on chemicals and materials, including the ability to process defense materials like lightweight composites, anticorrosive lubricants, energetics, and energetic precursors.
“We are proud to partner with BioMADE on this transformational project that will expand the infrastructure needed to scale bio-based products in the United States,” said Rob Rainbolt, Vice President of Manufacturing at Burns & McDonnell. “A shared, demonstration-scale facility helps close a major gap between a promising idea and reliable production — a critical step for domestic manufacturing, supply chain resilience, and accelerating the pace at which new processes reach the market.”
The Maple Grove facility is expected to create a practical proving ground for organizations that need pilot-scale capabilities without taking on the full cost of building and operating a dedicated site.
