01 Answer first
Which utilities must the buyer prepare for a bottling plant?
The project may need suitable electrical supply and grounding, raw and service water, compressed air, cooling, drainage, ventilation and local distribution. Required conditions and connection points must come from the final equipment configuration; generic figures are not a safe construction basis.
Project decision workbook
Size utilities from operating cases, not added nameplates
A utility schedule must distinguish connected load, normal consumption, peak demand, quality at the point of use and the equipment that depends on it. Test startup, normal production, cleaning, changeover and recovery after a stop as separate operating cases. This prevents an apparently adequate plant service from failing when several large users operate together.
Use this workbook for site surveys, supplier clarification and local utility design.
A verified utility data sheet with point-of-use conditions and responsibility for each connection.
A list of total kW, air flow and water flow without pressure, quality or coincidence.
| Utility | Define at point of use | Operating case to test | Evidence before startup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical power | Voltage, frequency, phases, connected load, demand, protection, grounding and power quality. | Simultaneous heating, compressors, chillers, drives and restart. | Approved load list, single-line basis and measured supply condition. |
| Compressed air | Pressure, flow, dew point, oil class, filtration, receiver and distribution losses. | Bottle blowing peaks plus instrument and service-air demand. | Compressor data, air-quality basis and pressure test at remote users. |
| Cooling and process water | Supply and return temperatures, flow, pressure, quality, recovery and seasonal inlet condition. | Peak ambient temperature, product demand and sanitation. | Heat-load schedule, water balance and verified source capacity. |
| Drainage and ventilation | Flow, temperature, chemistry, discharge route, heat and moisture removal. | Cleaning discharge, reject events and occupied production. | Drain survey, local discharge approval and ventilation calculation. |
Final utility values come from the approved equipment configuration and supplier data; planning values must remain labeled as estimates.
Decision-ready evidence
Define Utilities at the Point of Use and Verify Every Operating State
Utility design must state condition, average and peak demand, coincidence, connection, measurement and failure response. Installed generator nameplates do not prove performance at the equipment inlet.
| Decision or boundary | Buyer and site input | Supplier or specialist evidence | Release record and responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical power and protection | Available voltage/frequency, fault and grounding basis, stability, backup policy and local rules | Connected/operating/peak loads, starting states, power-quality limits, protection and single-line inputs | Qualified local electrical design plus point-of-use voltage and phase checks |
| Service and instrument air | Existing compressor/dryer/receiver/distribution data, ambient and concurrent users | Pressure, flow, quality, dew-point or filtration basis, peaks, storage and pressure-drop calculation | Measured terminal condition through representative operating and recovery states |
| High-pressure bottle-blowing air | Approved bottles/preforms, blower modes, site conditions, recovery and redundancy policy | Bottle-specific consumption, compressor/booster, treatment, receiver, cooling and control calculation | Pressure, flow, quality and recovery trend recorded at the blower boundary |
| Cooling and heat rejection | Ambient design case, water condition, site space, noise, ventilation and shared users | Mode-based duty, temperatures, approach, flow, pressure, fouling allowance and equipment heat data | Point-of-use temperature/flow stability verified under the agreed adverse case |
| Process, cleaning and service water | Source status, treatment route, quality, storage, sanitation, concurrent use and discharge limits | Flow/pressure/quality schedule, tanks, pumps, cleaning demand, sampling and separation controls | Identity and required condition demonstrated at each relevant connection |
| Drainage and effluent | Drain destinations, local limits, floor levels, chemicals, peak events and disposal responsibilities | Tagged source register, peak flow/condition basis, air gaps, slopes, materials and neutralization needs | Safe route and capacity confirmed for normal, cleaning, fault and commissioning cases |
| Ventilation, exhaust and room condition | Ambient extremes, personnel, heat/moisture loads, hygiene zones and local workplace limits | Equipment releases, air balance, exhaust, condensation and access/maintenance requirements | Room conditions and exhaust function verified in defined operating states |
| Isolation, measurement and resilience | Allowed interruption, backup philosophy, custody, calibration and emergency response | Connection drawings, isolation, gauges/meters, alarms, interlocks, redundancy and failure-mode basis | Tagged interfaces, calibrated evidence and agreed response to service loss |
Final utility values come from the selected equipment and approved operating modes. Local engineers must design and approve generation, distribution, protection, drainage and safety work for the actual site.
Buyer problem-to-decision map
Utility Questions That Prevent Undersized Site Services
A utility schedule should state point-of-use quantity, quality, operating state and evidence. Site designers then evaluate generation, distribution, protection and local compliance.
How much electrical power does a water bottling plant need?
Add the confirmed loads for the selected treatment, bottle production or handling, filling, labeling, packing, conveyors, compressors, cooling and auxiliaries, then apply project-specific operating states and local design rules.
- Inputs needed
- Equipment load list; voltage and frequency; connected and running duty; starting or transient behavior; simultaneity; expansion; local tariff and protection requirements.
- Decision evidence
- Revision-controlled load schedule, single-line and protection design by qualified parties, measured or supplier evidence, margin rationale and acceptance tests.
How should compressed-air demand be specified?
Separate pressure levels, air quality, average and peak flow, operating and cleaning states, permissible pressure drop, dryer and filtration needs, storage and critical users such as PET blowing.
- Inputs needed
- Machine point-of-use schedules; bottle-blowing cycle and formats; ambient conditions; distribution length; leakage policy; redundancy and recovery requirements.
- Decision evidence
- Air mass-balance and peak profile, equipment and receiver selection basis, quality specification, distribution review and point-of-use test plan.
How are process water, cleaning water and drainage loads calculated?
Build a state-based mass balance covering source treatment, product, reject and backwash, rinsing and sanitation, laboratory and domestic or shared users, then map each discharge stream and quality constraint.
- Inputs needed
- Raw-water quality and treatment yield; product demand; cleaning recipes; operating calendar; reuse policy; drain routes; discharge or waste-treatment requirements.
- Decision evidence
- Mass balance by operating state, stream and connection schedule, peak and batch volumes, discharge characterization, local review and measured commissioning results.
When are utility figures reliable enough for local design?
Preliminary values support options and reservations; confirmed values require the approved equipment configuration, SKU basis and operating modes. Every figure should carry a revision, assumption and release purpose.
- Inputs needed
- Equipment and format freeze status; production and cleaning cases; interface points; supplier revisions; expansion decisions; local designer information needs.
- Decision evidence
- Load register with preliminary or confirmed status, source document, operating basis, owner, review record and change notification process.
02 Where it fits
Position in the project journey
Interface definition - before site-readiness confirmation.
03 Buyer inputs
What the buyer should prepare
- Available voltage, frequency, phase and grounding condition
- Raw-water source and service-water availability
- Existing compressed air, cooling, drainage and ventilation
- Local distribution status and site connection constraints
04 Allot Tech and manufacturing-resource inputs
What should be clarified or provided
- Project-specific load and quality requirements
- Connection locations and equipment-side terminals
- Operating and peak-demand assumptions
- Required readiness checks before commissioning
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
Calculate product flow, then build the full water balance
Illustrative arithmetic: 8,000 bottles per hour at 0.5 L requires 4,000 L/h in the bottles while running at that rate. This is not the source-water requirement. If an assumed RO recovery were 75%, producing 4,000 L/h of permeate would require about 5,333 L/h of RO feed and create about 1,333 L/h of reject. Recovery must come from the selected process and source-water assessment; 75% is only an example, not an equipment promise.
Add the demands the bottle calculation leaves out
Complete the balance with the agreed rinse, cleaning, filter-backwash and other service-water cases. Determine which demands occur simultaneously and which are separated in time. Storage may decouple peak filling demand from treatment operation, but usable volume, replenishment, sanitation and operating controls must be designed together.
Keep blowing air and service air as separate requirements
For on-site PET blowing, obtain the blower’s pressure, flow, air-quality and peak-demand requirements. Also obtain service-air requirements for the rest of the line. Do not size either system by adding flow figures stated under different reference conditions. Confirm whether receivers, dryers, filtration and distribution are inside the quoted boundary.
Ask for an operating-case load schedule
For electrical supply, distinguish connected load, expected running demand and starting conditions; do not apply an invented utilization factor to every motor. For cooling, distinguish thermal duty from circulation flow and supply/return temperatures. Ask the equipment suppliers to list production, startup, cleaning and standby cases, then have the site designer verify the supply and distribution.
| Utility | Buyer confirms | Equipment side defines | Local boundary records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | Voltage, frequency, phase, stability and grounding available | Equipment load and terminal | Transformer, main distribution, cabling and verification as assigned |
| Raw and service water | Source, available analysis, pressure and continuity | Required conditions and equipment connection | Source development, storage and local distribution as assigned |
| Compressed air | Existing supply or space and services for a new system | Quality, pressure, flow and terminal for selected equipment | Compressor-room and distribution boundary as assigned |
| Cooling / ventilation | Ambient and room conditions plus available cooling route | Heat rejection and connection need | Local cooling circuit, ventilation or building work as assigned |
| Drainage | Drain locations, capacity, route and local discharge conditions | Equipment drains and expected operating condition | Floor drains, collection, treatment or discharge work as assigned |
Buyer questions answered
Practical answers before you request a quotation
When should utility requirements be requested from the supplier?
Request preliminary loads during option development and confirmed point-of-use schedules after the equipment configuration and operating basis are approved. Keep revision status and assumptions visible so local infrastructure is not designed from obsolete estimates.
Is one electricity or compressed-air consumption number enough?
No. Separate connected load, expected demand, peak or transient duty, pressure or quality requirements, production and cleaning states, simultaneity assumptions and connection points. Local designers need both the values and their operating basis.
Can the equipment supplier size the site transformer, generator, compressor or drainage system?
The supplier can provide package loads and interface requirements. Final site generation, distribution, protection, diversity, drainage and code design require the complete site load case and qualified project-specific local engineering.
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
- Installed voltage or frequency differs from the approved basis
- Available air pressure exists but flow or quality is insufficient
- Drainage or cooling is completed after equipment positioning
08 Acceptance or completion
How to know the stage is complete
Every required utility has a confirmed condition, load basis, connection point, responsible owner and readiness verification method.
09 Required documents
Records that support the decision
- Utility requirement schedule
- Connection-point drawing
- Buyer distribution responsibility list
- Utility readiness and test record
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.