01 Answer first
What should a water bottling line FAT prove?
FAT should collect the evidence defined in the confirmed protocol: document status, visible build, dry functions, applicable wet trials, bottle and pack handling, safety, deviations and open actions. It is not a generic promise of final site performance.
Project decision workbook
Write the FAT around decisions the test can actually prove
A factory acceptance test should connect each contractual requirement to a method, test material, duration, sample size, result record and pass rule. Separate what can be demonstrated at the supplier factory from what depends on final site utilities or production conditions. Open items need severity, owner, due date and a retest or concession route before shipment release.
Use this workbook before protocol approval, travel booking and shipment authorization.
An approved FAT protocol, evidence pack and classified punch list.
Watching the line run briefly without agreed materials, counting rules or written results.
| FAT control | Define before the test | Record during the test | Release decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test basis | Approved scope, format, materials, utilities, speed basis, duration and exclusions. | Actual test conditions and any deviation from the protocol. | Results are comparable to the written contractual basis. |
| Quality and output | Good-product definition, sampling plan, reject handling and downtime rules. | Counts, samples, measurements, stops and corrective actions. | Every acceptance value has traceable evidence. |
| Function and safety | Interlocks, alarms, recipes, change parts, guards and challenge tests in scope. | Signed check sheets, photos or video where permitted, and observed exceptions. | Critical functions are passed or assigned a controlled closure plan. |
| Open-item control | Severity classes, authority to accept, shipment rule and retest method. | Punch-list owner, due date, evidence and status. | Shipment release does not hide unresolved critical items. |
FAT does not replace site acceptance, commissioning or local safety approval; define the boundary between them.
Decision-ready evidence
Connect Every FAT Result to an Agreed Requirement and Disposition
The FAT should establish what can be verified at the factory, under which configuration and materials, how evidence is recorded, and which conditions must carry to site. A demonstration without predefined criteria does not close acceptance.
| Decision or boundary | Buyer and site input | Supplier or specialist evidence | Release record and responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approved protocol and requirement traceability | Contract requirements, witness needs, critical risks and permitted factory limitations | Test matrix linking requirement, method, condition, criterion, record and responsible witness | Protocol and exceptions approved before the equipment is presented for test |
| Equipment identity and configuration | Purchased scope, approved revisions, formats, options, software and change status | Tag/serial list, as-tested configuration, drawings, software/recipe revisions and deviation log | As-tested state reconciled to the order and preserved for shipment |
| Reference materials and utilities | Approved preforms, bottles, caps, labels, film/product simulant, quantities and witness supply | Material lot records plus measured power, air, water, cooling and environmental conditions | Test validity states which materials and services were representative or limited |
| Safety and functional checks | Required modes, access, local review boundaries and safe test constraints | Guard/interlock checks, controls, alarms, manual/automatic functions and abnormal-response records | Safety findings are classified and no open item is hidden by production results |
| Capacity and operating-state test | Reference SKU, saleable-output definition, duration, stops, rejects and counter basis | Time-series states, raw counters, speed, stop/restart chronology, rejects and downtime coding | Result states achieved condition, exclusions and whether the contractual criterion was met |
| Product and package quality evidence | Dimensions, fill, closure, label, code, pack, sampling and laboratory responsibilities | Traceable samples, measurement-system status, results, reject challenges and retained evidence | Quality disposition is linked to the exact materials, machine state and sampling plan |
| Deviations, punch items and retest | Classification rules, acceptance authority, due dates and permitted carryover policy | Finding record with requirement, evidence, risk, correction, owner and retest result | Each item is closed, conditionally accepted or transferred to a named site test |
| Documentation, preservation and shipment release | Required manuals/drawings, packing, preservation, storage, open actions and release authority | Document index, backup/configuration set, release checklist, photos and packing/preservation records | Shipment release is a distinct signed gate and does not erase site-dependent obligations |
FAT content and acceptance are project-specific. Use qualified safety and technical personnel, preserve raw evidence, and state openly when factory utilities, materials or integration boundaries prevent a valid site-performance conclusion.
02 Where it fits
Position in the project journey
Pre-shipment acceptance - after manufacturing and before export packing.
03 Buyer inputs
What the buyer should prepare
- Approved products, bottles, caps, labels and packing materials
- Witness points and acceptance protocol
- Required documents and inspection evidence
- Named attendees and decision authority
04 Allot Tech and manufacturing-resource inputs
What should be clarified or provided
- Machine readiness and safe test setup
- Specifications, drawings, component list and manuals for review
- Dry-run and applicable wet-run procedure
- Open-issue log and disposition evidence
Allot Tech coordinates requirement, quotation and project communication. Detailed engineering, manufacture, testing, documentation and confirmed service are performed by selected manufacturing resources according to the signed scope.
05 Technical scope
Questions and work to control
Agree the Test Basis in Advance
The protocol should state equipment covered, test materials, utilities, operating conditions, inspection points, records, acceptance criteria, and any functions that can only be verified at site.
Record Results and Open Items
Observations, deviations, corrective actions, retest needs, and items deferred to commissioning should be documented so release decisions are based on a common record.
- Scope and preconditions for the test
- Agreed functional and documentation checks
- Disposition of open or site-dependent items
Build FAT From the Contracted Risk and Evidence Basis
Define the equipment and software revision under test, approved reference bottles or preforms, caps, labels, coding data, secondary-pack materials, utilities, instruments, responsible witnesses, test sequence, duration, quality checks, data source, stop treatment, photographs or records, and disposition rules. Separate inspection, dry function, wet operation, format handling, safety, documentation, and any deferred site tests.
- Approve the protocol before travel or witness mobilization
- Record material identity and suitability for the test
- State what FAT cannot prove about final site conditions
Control Open Actions and Shipping Disposition
Every FAT observation should receive a category, requirement reference, owner, due gate, proposed correction, retest or documentary evidence, and authority to close it. The release decision may be accept, accept with controlled actions, retest, or hold according to the signed agreement. Shipping must not erase technical actions or move their risk silently to the site.
- Separate safety, function, quality, documentation, and cosmetic actions
- Link corrections to controlled revisions and as-built records
- Carry approved residual actions into receiving, installation, or site acceptance
Buyer questions answered
Practical answers before you request a quotation
Does FAT prove the final plant output at the buyer site?
Only within the agreed factory test boundary and conditions. FAT may verify equipment functions and selected integrated scenarios, while site utilities, permanent connections, local materials and sustained site operation often require separate SAT or commissioning evidence.
Which bottles, caps, labels and product materials should be used at FAT?
Use approved, representative materials in documented lots and quantities sufficient for the agreed tests. Record any substitute material and its limitation so the result is not presented as evidence for an untested production condition.
What happens when an FAT item fails?
Create a finding linked to the requirement and evidence, classify its effect, name the correction owner and due date, define retest or site carryover conditions, and obtain the authorized disposition before shipment release.
Downloadable buyer tool
Work from one controlled project workbook
Use eight editable sheets for the project brief, responsibility matrix, site readiness, FAT, installation, handover and three-supplier quotation comparison. Blank and open items remain visible for review.
- Start Here
- Project Brief
- Responsibility Matrix
- Site Readiness
- FAT Checklist
- Installation
- Handover
- Quote Comparison
06 Responsibility
Assign the owner before the work is due
Land, building and civil work, permits, import and customs, local taxes, site utilities, unloading, lifting, local labor, travel support and commissioning materials are not automatically included. Confirm every responsibility before order.
07 Common risks
What commonly creates avoidable uncertainty
- Testing starts without approved materials or a written protocol
- A machine-level run is mistaken for an integrated line test
- Open actions are not assigned or connected to shipment release
08 Acceptance or completion
How to know the stage is complete
Results, deviations and open actions are recorded against the confirmed FAT protocol, with a clear disposition for packing and shipment.
09 Required documents
Records that support the decision
- Confirmed FAT protocol
- Inspection and test records
- Document review register
- Open-item list and FAT sign-off
Evidence basis
Official references and project limits
These primary sources support the general planning principles used in this guide. The rules, evidence and responsible authority for the actual project country must still be confirmed locally.
10 Next project step
Turn this decision into a reviewable project brief
Share the product, container, target output, destination and available site information. Unknown inputs can remain open for the first review.
Explore this topic cluster
Turnkey scope is project-specific and is defined by the signed technical and commercial agreement.