ENGINEERING CLARITY. OPERATIONAL IMPACT.
Get to the crux. Solve it. Unlock the value.™
Crux Engineering Partners turns complex operational challenges into clear decisions and measurable results—for manufacturers, distributors, facility owners, and investors.
Discuss your challenge
01 / CORE CAPABILITIES
From the first question to the factory floor.
Capital projects & startups
Greenfield and brownfield builds, line installation, commissioning, and startup. Project Management keeps scope, schedule, cost, and risk aligned. CAPEX Portfolio Management prioritizes and sequences investments across the business.
Operational excellence
Improve throughput, cost, and reliability through TPM, OEE improvement, Lean Six Sigma, maintenance and asset care. Align site footprints and operating teams so improvements last.
Root cause analysis and forensic engineering
Investigate HVAC, plumbing, utilities, process equipment, roofs, and building envelopes. Separate design, installation, and maintenance causes; define corrective actions and repair-versus-replace options.
Process, packaging & automation
High-speed filling and packaging, aseptic and food-safety systems, leak detection, warehouse and end-of-line automation, and new manufacturing processes—built around practical operating needs.
02 / WAYS TO ENGAGE
The right expertise. The right engagement.
Illustrative engagement scopes showing how Crux Engineering Partners can support your operations, facilities, and investments.
Investigate & correct
For recurring equipment failures, leaks, or critical facility issues. Combine field investigation, evidence review, and root-cause analysis into prioritized corrective actions and repair-versus-replace guidance.
Recover & deliver capital
For a delayed build, difficult startup, or capital program needing control. Establish an executable recovery plan, coordinate contractors, manage risks, and stay through commissioning and handoff.
Assess & improve performance
For constrained capacity, high costs, or unreliable assets. Assess plant performance, prioritize loss elimination, strengthen maintenance, and evaluate network consolidation and automation opportunities.
Lead through transition
Full-time interim, part-time fractional, or project-based leadership. Cover operations, engineering, plant management, reliability, or a capital program—with clear priorities and a clean handoff to the permanent team.
Inform the investment
Technical due diligence for investors and facility owners. Evaluate asset condition, operational constraints, capital needs, and execution risks. Receive prioritized options with costs, risks, and potential returns.
Engineer the next stage
Project and program support for new products, filling and packaging, and warehouse automation. Connect process requirements, equipment selection, installation, validation, and startup readiness.
Project Management
Turn a defined scope into a coordinated delivery plan. Manage schedules, budgets, contractors, risks, and changes from planning through commissioning. Keep stakeholders aligned with clear reporting, decision gates, and accountable handoffs.
CAPEX Portfolio Management
Put capital behind the right priorities. Build and sequence a multi-year investment roadmap, assess business cases, and balance capacity, reliability, compliance, and return. Establish portfolio governance and track budgets, forecasts, execution risks, and expected benefits across sites.
03 / HOW WE WORK
Clarity first. Ownership through delivery.
Assess the real problem and define success. Diagnose the causes through field investigation. Recommend prioritized options with costs, risks, and returns. Deliver through startup and handoff.
Operator perspective. Licensed accountability. Practical action.
04 / ABOUT CRUX
Engineered insight. Operator experience.
Veteran owned / Licensed Professional Engineer / PMP / Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Jake Lunday, PE, PMP, MS
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Jake brings 15+ years of technical and operational leadership, from plant startups and turnarounds to growth programs and executive engineering roles.
A licensed Professional Engineer in Tennessee, Texas, and North Carolina, Jake holds an M.S. in Engineering and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. His approach combines disciplined engineering, hands-on operating experience, and accountability for execution.
View Jake’s professional profile
05 / START A CONVERSATION
Let’s talk about your next challenge.
Based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Serving North America.
© 2026 Crux Engineering Partners. Professional liability and general liability insurance; certificates available upon request.