Cambrium

Biomanufacturing

FEL-1

AACE Class 5-4

Cambrium produces NovaColl, a bio-identical human collagen for skin care, through precision fermentation. Cambrium set out to own its manufacturing economics on every route to scale. Roebling built its contract manufacturer's cost structure alongside Cambrium's greenfield option in one model, giving Cambrium a bottom-up view of both before it decides where to commit capital.

2 paths

the CMO cost structure and Cambrium's greenfield option, modeled on one basis, rather than the single path a typical firm would price

1 day

from a process change request to seeing it reflected in the model, versus weeks for a re-estimate cycle at a traditional engineering firm

236% ROI

return on the year-one contract, valuing each scenario run at two engineering hours at a typical firm rate

Challenge

Cambrium's leadership wanted every capital decision grounded in its own numbers. Scaling through a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) and building a greenfield plant each carried a different cost structure, and Cambrium needed both on one basis to compare them and benchmark the return on building its own.

Solution

Roebling built a ground-up greenfield facility model, then mapped the CMO route's equipment, staffing, and overhead into the same framework. With both routes on one engineering and financial logic, Cambrium can compare them directly and see exactly which levers move its cost.

Results

Cambrium's team now drives the model itself, with the greenfield and CMO routes on the exact same basis. Cambrium brings its own bottom-up cost basis to board meetings and partner discussions, and decides when and how to scale on its own terms.

Deliverables

Process & Engineering

Dynamic Process Model

The greenfield facility and the CMO route modeled on the same engineering logic.

Mass & Energy Balance

Linked to equipment sizing and cost for both routes in one model.

Sized & Priced Equipment List

Equipment sized and priced for both the greenfield plant and the CMO route.

Cost & Economics

AACE Class 5 Estimate

Capital cost for the greenfield option, on the same basis as the CMO route.

OpEx Model

Operating cost for both routes, with CMO equipment, staffing, and overhead built out rather than treated as a flat quote.

Unit COGS

Restructured to total formulated product, matching how NovaColl is priced.

Uncertainty Analysis / Tornado Diagram

Showed which inputs drive cost on each route.

Integrated Financial Model

Greenfield returns benchmarked against the CMO cost structure, now driven by Cambrium's team.

Scale & Project Planning

Feasibility Report

The side-by-side comparison of both routes Cambrium uses to evaluate its options.

"We now own our cost model. It transforms manufacturing cost into a decision making parameter. We can see the economics of both routes, and we use them to shape our scale-up plan."

Charlie Cotton

Chief Scientific Officer, Cambrium

The Approach

Owning the cost basis on every route to scale.

Roebling structured the build in deliberate stages, ensuring Cambrium had a clear checkpoint to validate results before moving forward:

The standalone facility model was established first, creating a grounded reference point before introducing external contractor logic.
The contract manufacturing path was built out with dedicated equipment, staffing, and overhead, treating the partner as a fully operational plant rather than a flat quote.
Cost of goods sold was restructured to reflect total formulated product rather than raw peptide mass, mirroring how NovaColl is priced and forcing a direct unit comparison.

Because both routes run on identical logic, Cambrium can evaluate any CMO proposal against its own operating cost model and see the levers that matter most to its margin.

What the teams say

"Modeling the CMO route on actual equipment and COGS inputs, instead of one line item, gives Cambrium the same visibility it has into its own plant. The team can see what drives cost on either route and act on it."