Installation starts before the machine reaches site. A clear site-readiness plan confirms that the equipment can be delivered, positioned, connected, operated, cleaned and maintained within the available production area.
Confirm the delivery and access route
Record vehicle access, unloading responsibility, doorway and corridor sizes, floor loading, lifting restrictions, level changes and the final route into production. Include guards, conveyors and feeder assemblies that may arrive separately. A machine that fits the final footprint may still be impossible to move through an access door without an agreed installation sequence.
State whether the site provides forklifts, cranes, skates, lifting points, banksmen or specialist contractors. The project method should define who coordinates offloading and how the equipment is protected before it reaches its operating position.
Reserve the operating footprint and service clearances
The drawing should show more than the machine outline. Allow space for doors and guards to open, format parts to be changed, pumps to be replenished, control panels to be accessed and maintenance tasks to be completed. Include operator standing positions, pallet or carton locations and the route for finished products and waste.
Check overhead restrictions, columns, drains, kerbs, pipework, cable trays and adjacent equipment. A compact cell can require additional clearance at the feeder, reject station or panel side even when the main frame fits.
Define power, compressed air and other utilities
Use the final machine documentation to confirm supply voltage, phases, frequency, protective device, connection point and isolator responsibilities. Where compressed air is required, confirm pressure, quality, connection and available flow under normal production demand. Do not infer utility requirements from a similar machine or an early concept.
Agree whether network, data, extraction, drainage, product services or washdown provisions are required. Identify which utilities must be live for commissioning and who verifies them before the engineer arrives.
Survey the existing conveyors and line height
Measure conveyor working height, usable width, direction, speed range, bottle pitch and control ownership. Record the condition of guide rails, transfers and accumulation zones. If the capper must bridge or replace an existing conveyor section, confirm cut points and shutdown arrangements.
Use representative filled bottles to confirm stability through the proposed transfer. Where line height must change, the project should define the transition and the effect on tall, soft, oval or handled containers.
Plan safety, access and production responsibilities
The final installation requires a competent, site-specific review of machinery use, operator tasks, guarding, isolation, cleaning, changeover and foreseeable interventions. Agree which party owns the complete-line risk assessment, emergency-stop interfaces and any modifications to existing equipment.
Purchasers and dutyholders should review current official sources such as the HSE PUWER guidance and the supplied machine instructions. Compliance depends on the final machinery, site, use and responsibilities; this page is general planning guidance rather than a conformity assessment.
Prepare products, components and people for commissioning
Have approved bottles, pumps, labels, safe filled-weight samples or ballast and any product substitute available in the agreed quantities. Components should come from normal production supply and normal bulk packing. Confirm who may operate the upstream and downstream equipment during the commissioning period.
Nominate operators, engineering contacts and a decision-maker for first-off approvals. Training is more useful when the intended team can practise startup, running, replenishment, changeover, fault clearance and shutdown on the real formats.
Separate factory evidence from site evidence
Factory acceptance can prove the machine configuration, approved sample handling, controls and documented run conditions before delivery. Site acceptance should prove installation-specific matters such as utility connection, actual line transfers, upstream/downstream signals, production environment and operator handover.
Use the pump capping FAT and SAT guide to define which checks belong at each stage. Avoid repeating a vague demonstration; each test should have a purpose, method, result and responsible signatory.
Use a site-readiness checklist before the installation date
| Area | Ready when |
|---|---|
| Access | Delivery route, doorways, lifting method and offloading responsibilities are confirmed. |
| Position | Floor area, service clearance, operator positions and overhead restrictions match the approved layout. |
| Utilities | Final power, air and any additional services are installed, tested and available. |
| Interfaces | Conveyors, heights, transfers, controls and guarding responsibilities are agreed. |
| Samples | Approved production components and representative pack conditions are available. |
| People | Operators, engineering support and acceptance authority are scheduled. |
| Documentation | Method statements, risk controls, acceptance protocol and site contacts are current. |
A ready site protects the commissioning window.
Confirm access, services, interfaces, samples and responsible people before delivery. The installation engineer should not have to discover the production boundary after the machine arrives.