Helaina

Biomanufacturing

AACE Class 5-4

FEL-1

Helaina uses precision fermentation to make effera®, the world's first bio-identical human lactoferrin, now produced at metric-ton scale. Working with Roebling engineers, the Helaina team built a live, fully costed model of that production in their own workspace. Now they can test their scale-up options themselves instead of commissioning a study.

1,219 changes

to model assumptions executed instantly, without re-engaging consultants

6 weeks

saved in evaluation cycles, eliminating the wait time of traditional engineering studies

935% ROI

in engineering work delivered, measured against a typical firm's cost for the same scope

Challenge

Helaina needed the ability to compare the paths to scale their process on the same engineering basis, with unit economics that would hold up in front of a capital committee. The traditional route to this is a multi-quarter engagement ending in a static report that is out of date the moment an assumption moves.

Solution

Roebling's engineers took Helaina's process documentation as the basis and built a live commercial-scale model, complete with financial models, dynamically updating with every change. Each scenario can be evaluated against the project success criteria and discarded until only the best option remains.

Results

Helaina's finance and engineering teams now work from one model rather than trading spreadsheets. CapEx and cost of production update as the solver runs, so the team can set a target and let the model size the plant that hits it. The model stays live in their workspace, ready for the capital decisions ahead rather than expiring like a report.

Deliverables

Process & Engineering

Mass & Energy Balance

Built from Helaina’s process documentation, so every number traces back to the assumption behind it.

Sized & Priced Equipment List

Equipment costs link directly to source quotes, and the list resizes when the target output changes.

Cost & Economics

AACE Class 5 Estimate

Capital cost that updates as the solver runs, with building costs scaled by area.

OpEx Model

Operating costs recalculated with plant size, with labor models customizable line by line.

Unit COGS

Cost of production that updates as the solver runs, built to hold up in front of a capital committee.

Integrated Financial Model

Financial returns recalculated with every change, so finance and engineering work from one model.

Uncertainty Analysis / Tornado Diagram

Shows which assumptions move the unit economics most.

Scale & Project Planning

Target-Output Plant Sizing

Set a target output and the solver resizes the plant to hit it, in real time.

Scale-Up Scenario Comparison

Paths to scale compared on the same engineering basis, each checked against the project success criteria.

"Roebling has become a core tool in our commercial scaling strategy, helping us assess manufacturing options against our projected unit economics. It will be a valuable tool as we grow and continually reevaluate Helaina's optimal manufacturing strategy."

Taylor Burroughs

Chief Financial Officer, Helaina

The Approach

Built on the engineering Helaina already had, and built to keep working after handover.

Roebling's fermentation and chemical engineers were onboarded directly using Helaina's process documentation. Over a structured six-week ramp, dedicated training sessions and weekly office hours with a named engineer and customer success manager ensured total alignment.

The resulting model gives Helaina full control over facility design:

Input a target output, and the solver instantly resizes the plant, recalculating equipment lists, capital expenditure, operating costs, and overall financial returns in real time.
Equipment costs link directly to source quotes, building costs scale dynamically by area, and labor models are fully customizable line-by-line.

The model lives directly in Helaina's workspace and remains entirely theirs. Platform enhancements roll out weekly without altering the underlying numerical basis of existing models.

What the teams say

"Roebling exceeded our expectations. It gives our team a shared, defensible basis for every scaling decision."