Build a factory acceptance test checklist

Verify a written FAT test plan or inspection and test plan (ITP) exists and has been agreed by buyer and supplier before testing begins.

Without an agreed plan the pass/fail basis is disputable, and results obtained against an unapproved plan may not be accepted as meeting the contract.

Verify the test plan lists each test, its method and test conditions, its acceptance criteria, the sequence, and the sign-off point for each stage.

A plan without explicit acceptance criteria and test conditions per test lets marginal results pass unchallenged. Energised, pressurised or load tests also need their safe test parameters stated before they start.

Verify the current buyer specification, purchase order and approved drawings are on hand at the test location and match the equipment presented.

Testing against a superseded spec or drawing revision can lead to equipment that passes the FAT but is later rejected.

Verify the reference documents at the test location are the current approved revisions, and that any open change request affecting the scope under test is identified and its treatment agreed before testing.

Uncontrolled or outdated document revisions defeat the purpose of witnessing against them.

Verify the utilities required for the planned tests — electrical supply, compressed air, water, cooling or fuel as applicable — are available and connected at the works.

Missing or under-rated utilities at the works can stall or truncate a FAT after attendees have travelled.

Verify the supplier utility supplies match the values needed by the equipment and the test plan in voltage, frequency, pressure, flow and quality.

A supply present but at the wrong parameters (e.g. voltage or air pressure) prevents valid performance testing. Where the works cannot reproduce the destination supply, such as its frequency, record the affected tests and how they will be verified.

Verify the supplier personnel needed to run the test — operators, and the responsible engineer or quality representative — are present and available for the duration.

Absent competent personnel forces improvised testing or rescheduling; confirm a supplier representative is authorised to sign the test records.

Verify all attendees have received the site safety induction and are issued the required personal protective equipment before entering the test area.

Un-inducted attendees on a live works floor are a safety and liability exposure and may be removed, halting the FAT.

Verify emergency arrangements for the test area — exits, assembly point, first aid and the site emergency contact — have been briefed to attendees.

Energised or pressurised acceptance testing carries real hazards; attendees must know the response before it is needed.

Verify calibration evidence is available for every measuring instrument that will be used to judge FAT results, linked to the instrument by serial number and within the interval set by its calibration programme.

Record each instrument's identity and calibration status. Where calibration is overdue or cannot be shown, record the readings it affects, the effect on the result and the verification or repeat test required.

Verify each test instrument's calibration is traceable to a recognised national or international measurement standard and that its range and measurement uncertainty suit the tolerances and decision rule being applied.

An instrument whose measurement uncertainty is too large for the tolerance cannot confirm conformity; review the calibration chain stated on the certificate.

Verify blank FAT result sheets or a witness record aligned to the agreed test plan are prepared to log outcomes and signatures as testing proceeds.

Recording results after the fact from memory weakens the acceptance record; capture readings and sign-offs live.

Verify a documentation transmittal or index list is provided and that every document it references is physically present in the pack.

An index can list documents that are missing from the pack, so an incomplete pack can pass unnoticed. Tick each line against the document itself.

Verify the supplier's compiled test and inspection report is included, signed and dated, and that its results, deviations and retests agree with the records signed during the witnessed tests.

The compiled report is the supplier's record; it does not replace the signed test records or the witness report. The underlying results are assessed in the relevant technical modules. Where the report is compiled after the FAT, record it as outstanding until it is received and checked.

Verify material and component certificates required by the purchase order are present, legible and cross-referenced to the items they cover.

Presence, legibility and traceability into the pack only. Material certificate content is checked against the specified grade in the materials and fabrication-quality module; component certificates are checked in the relevant technical module.

Verify operation and maintenance manuals are included and cover installation, operation, routine maintenance and troubleshooting.

An operation-only manual with no maintenance or fault-finding sections does not meet this check.

Verify as-built drawings are included and reflect the unit as inspected, including any changes made during manufacture.

Supplied drawings may be the original design set rather than as-built. Check revision markings against modifications observed on the unit.

Verify a spare-parts list is included and that each line carries a manufacturer part number sufficient to reorder without further enquiry.

Descriptions without part numbers, or internal codes the buyer cannot order against, make later replacement dependent on the supplier.

Verify recommended commissioning and first-service spares are identified in the spare-parts list and reconciled against what is being shipped with the unit.

The document side of the spares check. Physical presence of shipped spares in the crates is confirmed in the packing module.

Verify the warranty terms are stated in writing, including duration, start-date basis, coverage and any exclusions or conditions.

A warranty whose start date, scope or conditions are undefined is difficult to enforce after shipment. Confirm against the purchase order terms.

Verify all deliverable documents are provided in the language required by the purchase order.

Check for manuals or certificates supplied only in Chinese. Confirm the required language, and whether bilingual or translated copies were agreed.

Verify the equipment nameplate details recorded in the documents (model, serial number, rating) match the physical nameplate on the unit.

Documents describing a different serial or rating than the unit can indicate a mismatched or reused pack.

Verify supplier and sub-supplier contact details for technical support, spares and warranty claims are stated in the pack.

Post-shipment support stalls when the buyer has no named contact route for parts or warranty.

Verify each document carries a title, revision or issue identifier and date so the buyer can confirm they hold the current edition.

Unversioned documents make it impossible to tell later whether a superseded copy is in use.

Confirm the pack is specific to this unit rather than a generic product-family manual that omits ordered options or variants.

A generic manual can describe standard options and omit or contradict what was actually supplied for a bespoke build.

Confirm that where an electronic pack is provided, the files open, are complete and are not password-locked or corrupted, and that any agreed native formats are included.

A USB or link handed over at FAT can hold scanned-only, locked or incomplete files. Open a sample and confirm agreed formats (e.g. editable drawings) are present.

Confirm the packing specification (or packing list) and the intended transit mode and route are available before packing is inspected.

The packing method must be judged against the declared mode (sea/air/road, container vs breakbulk) and destination; without the spec the packing cannot be assessed.

Verify the packing method and materials match the specification for the declared transit mode (seaworthy export crate, container-stuffed, or air freight as applicable).

Domestic-grade packing may not protect the goods on a long sea leg; check that the specified export or seaworthy protection has not been replaced by a lighter method.

Inspect crate and case construction for adequacy — base skids/runners, bracing, fixings and closure — so the package will withstand handling and stacking in transit.

Judge build quality only; lifting points, slinging arrangements and tilt/shock indicators are assessed under the lifting & transport module.

Verify shipping marks on each package (consignee, order/contract reference, case number, port of destination) match the packing list and commercial invoice, recording whether draft or issued versions were checked.

Mismarked cases can be misrouted or delayed at consolidation; the case-number sequence must be complete (e.g. 1/8 … 8/8). Where only drafts exist at inspection, the marks still need checking against the issued documents.

Verify the gross and net weights and outer dimensions marked on each package agree with the packing list.

Declared weights drive freight booking, container/vehicle selection and handling gear; discrepancies can cause re-handling and demurrage.

Verify handling and orientation markings (e.g. this-way-up, keep-dry, sling/no-sling positions, fragile) are present and correct for the contents.

ISO 780 pictograms are conventional; confirm they are present and consistent with the packing spec rather than citing the standard on the case.

Verify all loose-supplied items — spares, consumables, special tools, counterparts and accessories — listed in the contract/packing list are physically present and identified.

Missing loose-supplied commissioning spares or special tools can stall installation at site.

Where preservation is specified, verify it is applied — desiccant with a humidity indicator in sealed barrier/VCI wrapping, VCI on bare machined surfaces, and blanking of open ports, flanges and shaft ends.

Long sea transit and storage can corrode unprotected surfaces; check the desiccant quantity against the packing specification and that the moisture-barrier seal is intact.

Verify fluids are handled per the shipping requirement — systems drained or protective/preservation fill applied and stated, with drain points closed and no residual leakage.

Trapped water can freeze or cause corrosion in transit. Where a unit ships with a preservation fill, document the fluid and the manufacturer's instruction for it before start-up.

Verify wood packaging made from raw wood carries a legible ISPM 15 mark: its symbol, the country code, the producer or treatment-provider code and an approved treatment code such as HT.

At the point of entry, wood packaging without the required mark can be detained, treated, destroyed or reshipped, delaying the consignment. ISPM 15 exempts, among others, processed wood such as plywood, particle board and OSB, and wood 6 mm thick or less; confirm any further import requirements at the destination.

Verify the equipment serial/tag number, model and quantity match the nameplate, the packing list and the commercial invoice.

A serial-number mismatch between the physical unit and the shipping or commercial documents can indicate a substituted or mixed-up unit, delay customs clearance and break the traceability needed for warranty claims. Record which document versions were checked.

Witness and obtain a dated photographic record of each unit as packed — internal blocking/bracing and preservation before closing, then the closed and marked package.

Once crates are closed the internal packing cannot be re-inspected without opening them; before-close photos are key evidence for later transit-damage and short-shipment claims.