Agree the products, formats, operating conditions, interventions, measurements and pass rules before testing so acceptance evidence answers the real production requirement.
1. Convert every critical requirement into an acceptance check
Factory acceptance testing and site acceptance testing should prove agreed requirements, not simply demonstrate that equipment moves. For each critical requirement, state the product and format, operating condition, measurement method, pass rule, responsible witness and record that will support the decision.
| Requirement | Test condition | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Good output | Agreed product, format, replenishment and permitted operator work | Start and finish time, accepted count, rejects, stops and interventions |
| Pack quality | Defined sample method and product condition | Measured results, acceptance rule and traceable sample record |
| Changeover | Named start and end conditions with approved components | Observed steps, settings, first-off checks and issues |
| Line recovery | Selected starved, blocked, fault and restart scenarios | Expected sequence compared with observed response |
| Documentation | Approved project revision and handover index | Completed document and software-backup register |
2. Select formats by risk, not convenience
Testing only the easiest bottle, closure or pack can leave the real design boundaries unproven. Build a format matrix that identifies the reference duty and the combinations most likely to change filling, stability, feeding, labelling, transfer, coding or end-of-line behaviour.
- Smallest and largest containers or packs
- Least stable or most flexible container
- Closures with the most demanding feed or application behaviour
- Labels or codes with critical presentation requirements
- Products that foam, settle, string, dust or vary with temperature
- Secondary packs that change collation or transfer conditions
Record untested formats and the evidence used to accept them. A risk-based matrix is more transparent than implying that every possible combination has been demonstrated.
3. Test the integrated line, not only individual machine cycles
A complete automatic line must handle normal production events as well as steady running. Include scenarios that challenge machine interfaces and controlled recovery without creating unsafe tests.
| Scenario | Expected behaviour to define |
|---|---|
| Upstream starvation | Downstream modules hold or continue appropriately without creating incomplete packs |
| Downstream blockage | Product release slows or stops before transfer points overload |
| Component depletion | The line warns, holds and recovers without using the wrong component |
| Inspection reject | The failed pack is rejected, confirmed and reconciled in counts |
| Guard or safety event | The defined zone stops safely and requires the approved reset route |
| Controlled restart | Product already in process is handled according to the agreed quality rule |
| End of batch | The line completes or clears without producing unidentified or unverified packs |
4. Make the test itself ready
Many acceptance tests lose value because representative materials, calibrated instruments, approved drawings or decision-makers are unavailable. The test-readiness review should close these gaps before the planned witness date.
- Correct product condition and sufficient quantity for the planned scenarios
- Containers, closures, labels, cases and consumables from approved sources
- Approved format matrix, layout and controls narrative
- Defined measurement instruments and responsibilities
- Witnesses authorised to make technical and commercial decisions
- Method for recording defects, interventions, deviations and retests
- Safe test plan for faults, guards, rejects and recovery scenarios
5. Use FAT to close factory risks before dispatch
FAT should confirm the assembled equipment against the approved factory scope. It can verify format handling, sequence logic, controls interfaces, quality responses, changeover steps, documentation and selected performance conditions. Where site equipment or utilities are simulated, identify the simulation and the evidence still required at SAT.
Close each finding as accepted, corrected and retested, accepted with an approved deviation, or transferred to a named site action. Keep photographs, settings, software versions and test records traceable to the machine and project revision.
6. Use SAT to prove the installed production boundary
SAT confirms the line after delivery, installation and connection to the real site environment. It should verify access, utilities, retained machinery, product supply, data connections, guarding interfaces, operator work and the agreed production conditions.
Site commissioning may reveal issues that were impossible to prove at the factory, such as actual product feed stability, building services, upstream production variation or downstream logistics. Keep installation completion, commissioning and acceptance as related but distinct stages so unfinished construction is not mistaken for a performance failure.
7. Complete handover with an evidence index
Acceptance is stronger when the final record identifies the as-left configuration. The handover index should capture approved drawings, manuals, settings, recipes, software backups, training, spare parts, maintenance information, open actions and named owners.
- Signed FAT and SAT results with deviations and retests
- Final layout, interface and utility records
- Approved format and recipe matrix
- Software and parameter backups with version identification
- Training attendance and competence follow-up actions
- Preventive-maintenance and spare-parts information
- Outstanding-action list with responsibility and target date
Use the installation and commissioning service page for the project route and the packaging line project brief to prepare the acceptance inputs.