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DPS is a food and beverage engineering company focused on the design, installation, and integration of processing systems. Founded in 2020, the company combines process knowledge with manufacturing experience to support new facilities, expansions, equipment integration, and operating improvements. The work connects business priorities with the engineering and project decisions needed to move from concept into production.

DPS is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, with a West Coast presence in Lake Forest, California. The team uses a flat structure that keeps company leadership close to engineering and project delivery. Process, controls, project engineering, and field coordination work together, with specialist partners brought into the defined scope when a project requires additional expertise or local execution support.

DPS was co-founded by Brandon Smith, President, and Christopher Skura, Chief Revenue Officer. Brandon leads operations and engineering strategy, while Christopher leads client relationships and commercial strategy. Both remain involved in client engagements and project oversight. Their work connects the initial discussion about project fit with the technical scope, investment priorities, and practical decisions required during delivery.

DPS works through a Design-Build-Manage model that connects engineering, execution, and operations within a coordinated project approach. Design establishes the technical basis; Build carries that intent into equipment, installation, and integration; Manage supports project oversight, startup, and operating readiness. The engagement defines how DPS, the client, and specialist suppliers share responsibilities across those stages.

Services include process engineering and design, capital planning and feasibility, owner's representation, project and program management, general contracting and trade coordination, equipment supply, installation, and system integration. Commissioning and startup coordination connect the installed systems with the operating team. A project can begin with a focused assignment or a broader delivery scope, depending on the client's needs and existing resources.

DPS supports food and beverage projects throughout the United States and Canada, working from its North Carolina and California bases with a network of specialist partners. The available service scope is reviewed for the project location. Local licensing, permitting, and compliance requirements, including requirements that vary within Canada, are addressed when defining responsibilities and the approach to installation and field execution.

DPS can act as a general contractor in applicable jurisdictions and can coordinate contractor, vendor, and installation activities within an agreed project scope. The contracting structure depends on local requirements and the work involved. Licensing, permit applications, professional approvals, and responsibility for filings must be confirmed for the specific jurisdiction; they should not be assumed to be included in every engagement.

DPS brings process and controls engineering together with structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical requirements. The work can include PLC programming, automation, SCADA, project engineering, and project management. The core team works with a vetted network of specialist partners where required. The project scope establishes who develops each discipline's work, who reviews it, and which locally required professional approvals apply.

Beverage work spans brewing, spirits and distillation, wine, kombucha and fermented drinks, ready-to-drink products, carbonated and still beverages, juice and functional beverages, dairy-based drinks, and aseptic processing. Each category brings different requirements for ingredients, preservation, cleaning, utilities, and packaging. DPS connects those process needs with the equipment, controls, and facility interfaces required for the particular product and production plan.

Food applications include beef, pork, poultry, seafood, and plant-based proteins; prepared foods and ingredients; sauces and marinades; dairy processing; aseptic and retort processing; and co-packing or contract manufacturing. Project requirements vary with the product, temperature regime, hygiene strategy, and packaging route. DPS considers those requirements alongside equipment selection, utilities, controls, installation, and the practical operation of the facility.

Specialty applications are reviewed case by case against the process, engineering scope, and applicable quality requirements. DPS can review aseptic systems and highly controlled manufacturing environments within a defined scope. The requirements of a particular pharmaceutical or specialty project must be established before an engagement is agreed, including the necessary specialist expertise, validation responsibilities, documentation, and regulatory interfaces.

Relevant requirements are established for the product, process, facility, and customer. They may involve FDA or USDA requirements and quality frameworks such as SQF or BRC, together with local building, environmental, and other applicable obligations. DPS considers these requirements within the agreed engineering and execution scope. Certification, regulatory approval, process validation, and client quality responsibilities are confirmed with the appropriate responsible parties.

DPS manufactures and supplies selected process equipment and works with specialist manufacturing partners. Product families include storage and process tanks, CIP systems, and marination tumblers. For cooking or retort applications, discuss the required thermal process and equipment scope with the team; kettles and retorts perform different duties and should not be treated as interchangeable. The configuration and supply responsibilities are confirmed for each project.

Equipment supply has historically accompanied DPS project engagements. If you need equipment without a wider engineering assignment, discuss the application and current supply arrangements with the team. Availability and fit should be reviewed against the product duty, configuration, integration needs, and support scope. That conversation can establish whether equipment supply alone or a coordinated engineering and installation assignment is appropriate.

Process scope can include fermentation, distillation, blending, filtration, carbonation, water treatment, hot and cold filling, and preservation routes such as HTST, UHT, tunnel, flash, and HPP. Food applications include protein, sauces and marinades, dairy, plant-based products, aseptic processing, and retort systems. The product and package determine the appropriate route, with specialist equipment and process responsibilities defined for each project.

Utility integration can include CIP, boilers and steam, compressed air, cooling towers and glycol, process water, wastewater interfaces, refrigeration, and HVAC. Automation work can include PLC and SCADA integration, batch control, and energy management. These systems are considered alongside the process equipment so that source capacity, distribution, controls, and operating sequences are coordinated within the defined engineering and installation scope.

DPS values collaborative clients who are open about their operating challenges, willing to examine assumptions, and focused on long-term success. Effective partnerships involve clear planning, shared accountability, and honest discussion about constraints and priorities. The aim is to align the client's business goals with a practical engineering scope, while keeping the people responsible for production involved in the decisions that affect their operation.

Project fit is assessed through the operating objective, technical complexity, available capital, schedule, and level of support required. A focused improvement and a new facility require different engineering and execution scopes. An initial discussion helps establish what is known, which decisions remain open, and whether a feasibility assignment, defined project package, or broader delivery engagement is the appropriate next step.

Yes. DPS uses an initial discussion to understand the client's goals, expectations, working style, and commitment to the project. This review helps both parties assess alignment before a formal engagement begins. It is also an opportunity to clarify the scope, operating constraints, decision responsibilities, and available resources so that the proposed work starts from a shared understanding.

DPS can assess urgent operational needs and unexpected plant disruptions as well as planned capital projects. The response depends on the issue, location, safety requirements, available resources, and the technical scope. An initial discussion should establish the production impact and immediate priorities so the team can identify a practical next step and confirm the support and timing available for that situation.

A DPS beverage co-packing project brings flexible production and repacking together with the supporting plant infrastructure. The engineering and installation scope includes the syrup room, boilers, air compressors, cooling towers, and utility interfaces. DPS also contributes to planning the operating model, connecting production flexibility and future expansion with the practical equipment and facility decisions needed to support the client's business.

DPS combines engineering with an operating and business perspective. The team examines why a project is needed, challenges assumptions when the proposed direction appears unsuitable, and connects design with equipment, installation, controls, and startup. A flat working structure and direct leadership involvement support that approach. The intent is to recommend a practical path that serves the client's operation and long-term priorities.

The DPS mission sets out six values: radical honesty, business-first thinking, practical execution, collaborative partnership, strategic alignment, and continuous improvement. Together they call for direct communication, sound investment decisions, workable plant-floor solutions, and shared expectations before implementation. They also encourage the team to question an unsuitable direction and keep improving the way it supports clients as operating needs evolve.

Yes. An initial request for new equipment or a larger facility may reveal a process, operating, or controls issue that can be addressed through a narrower intervention. DPS examines the underlying need and discusses the alternatives with the client. When a major capital project does not serve the operating objective, the recommendation may be to change the scope or pursue a different approach.

In one example described by DPS, a client was considering a capacity expansion when the investigation identified a PLC programming constraint. With the client's approval, a controls change addressed the bottleneck and improved throughput without the proposed expansion. The lesson is to establish the actual constraint before committing capital. Each operation requires its own assessment; a controls adjustment will not resolve every capacity problem.