01 Answer first
How should shrink, tray and carton candidates be released after comparison?
Create three candidate columns with the same row labels: bottle and pack revision, material code and conditioning, pack pattern, actual packs per minute, machine settings, utility conditions, appearance and integrity, manual handling, pallet pattern, stack result, warehouse exposure, transport result, deviations, retained sample and final disposition. Mark each row pass, fail, conditional or not tested and release only a route whose mandatory gates are closed.
02 Where it fits
Position in the project journey
Secondary-pack trial release - after route shortlisting and before the production pack specification and packer duty are frozen.
03 Buyer inputs
What the buyer should prepare
- Approved bottle revision, candidate pack counts and three shortlisted route definitions
- Mandatory appearance, handling, pallet, warehouse and transport pass criteria
- Production film, tray and carton specifications, samples and conditioning rules
- Witnesses, deviation authority, retained-sample and final-release responsibilities
04 Allot Tech and manufacturing-resource inputs
What should be clarified or provided
- Traceable production-material setup and machine trial for each candidate route
- Actual pack-rate, grouping, infeed, discharge, stop and recovery observations
- Recorded settings, utility conditions, change parts and known route limitations
- Trial packs, result data, deviations and supplier-side disposition inputs
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
Build Three Candidate Columns With Identical Rows
Use separate shrink-only, tray-and-film and carton or case columns. Keep the row definitions and test conditions identical so a missing result is visible rather than buried in narrative. Record pass, fail, conditional or not tested beside the evidence reference and owner.
- Bottle, material and pack-pattern revision
- Actual pack rate, settings and utility condition
- Test result, evidence reference and retained sample
- Disposition, deviation owner and closure date
Gate 1: Production-Material Machine Trial
Run traceable candidate material with the approved bottle and pattern. Record grouping stability, actual packs per minute, settings, utility conditions, replenishment, stops, recovery, discharge and visible pack condition. A route cannot pass this gate from drawings or sample-making alone.
- Traceable bottle and production material lots
- Actual pack rate and stable-run basis
- Settings, utilities, stops and recovery record
- Appearance, integrity and discharge result
Gate 2: Handling, Pallet and Distribution Release
Apply buyer-approved lift, opening, stacking, pallet, warehouse and transport checks to packs from the machine trial. Link each result to the exact route column, retain the accepted reference pack and sign a route-specific release, conditional release or rejection.
- Manual and automated handling checks
- Pallet pattern, stack and warehouse exposure
- Transport test and received-pack inspection
- Signed disposition, retained pack and controlled specification
Buyer questions answered
Practical answers before you request a quotation
Does this worksheet replace the earlier pack-format comparison?
No. It starts with shortlisted routes and supplies the route-specific machine and distribution evidence needed for release.
Must all three routes be physically tested?
Test every route still eligible for release. If a route is withdrawn before trial, record the reason and disposition instead of showing it as passed.
Can a pack be released from a drawing or handmade sample?
No. Those inputs support setup, but the mandatory release gate uses traceable production materials through the proposed machine route.
How should an uncompleted distribution test be shown?
Mark the row not tested or conditional, name the owner and due event, and do not convert the route to an unconditional release.
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
- One route is favored before all three candidates use the same mandatory worksheet rows
- Laboratory material data substitutes for a production-material machine trial
- A visually acceptable pack is released without pallet, warehouse or transport evidence
- Failed, conditional and not-tested rows are hidden inside an overall pass statement
08 Acceptance or completion
How to know the stage is complete
A route is released when every mandatory worksheet row is traceable to the approved bottle and production material, the machine trial produces stable identifiable packs at the stated duty, handling, pallet, warehouse and transport gates meet buyer criteria, deviations are closed or explicitly accepted, and the retained sample and controlled pack specification match the signed disposition.
09 Required documents
Records that support the decision
- Completed shrink, tray and carton trial-release worksheet
- Controlled bottle, material, pattern and machine-setting record
- Machine, handling, pallet, warehouse and transport trial evidence
- Retained reference packs, deviation log and signed route disposition
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.
Turnkey scope is project-specific and is defined by the signed technical and commercial agreement.