Test matrix
List products, bottles, caps, labels, packs, formats, recipes, speeds, run periods, changeovers, cleaning or sanitation functions and abnormal conditions included at each stage.
Use two tests to prove different project questions
Water Bottling Plant Factory Test vs Site Acceptance Test
Factory acceptance testing and site acceptance testing are not duplicate runs in different locations. FAT examines agreed equipment and functions before shipment under the factory conditions that can be provided. SAT examines the installed system with real site utilities, connections, materials, operators and surrounding equipment. The contract should define how evidence, deviations and open actions move between both stages so shipment does not erase unresolved work and site testing does not repeat undefined expectations.
01
Separate the purpose and boundary of each test
A clear boundary prevents both tests from becoming informal demonstrations.
| Question | FAT focus | SAT focus | Document that connects them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment supplied | Identity, build, functions, safety and documents available before shipment | Installed identity, condition and completed field work | Equipment list and inspection record |
| Interfaces | Simulated or factory-provided signals, materials and utilities | Actual site utilities, connections and adjacent systems | Interface schedule and responsibility matrix |
| Performance | Agreed factory condition and available representative materials | Agreed installed-line condition with site materials and operators | Acceptance procedure and data sheet |
| Completion | Shipment release and recorded open actions | Final closure, training and operating handover | Punch list and handover register |
02
Prepare test conditions before the event
The result is only meaningful when product, materials, duration and measurement are agreed.
Resources and readiness
Name who provides materials, utilities, instruments, operators, local labor, lifting, network access and waste handling. Confirm readiness by a defined date to avoid testing on substitutes without approval.
Measurement and acceptance
Define counters, quality checks, stop classification, sampling, data sheets, permitted exclusions, witnesses and the decision authority. Avoid relying on a catalog rate without agreed operating conditions.
03
Carry evidence and open actions from FAT to SAT
The project needs continuity, not two disconnected reports.
FAT record
Capture configuration, software version, materials, conditions, results, observations, deviations, photographs or video where agreed and the signed decision for shipment.
Shipment and installation change
Record disassembly, preservation, transport damage, field modification, software or component replacement and reassembly checks that could affect the factory result.
Punch-list control
Classify each action, owner, due date, evidence and whether it blocks shipment, energization, product trial, acceptance or handover. Closure should require the agreed evidence, not only a status message.
04
Use SAT to complete operating handover
Site acceptance should prove the installed boundary and leave the plant able to operate and maintain it.
Staged site testing
Progress through installation checks, dry functions, utilities, water, product, connected-line balance and agreed performance without skipping prerequisites.
People and documents
Include buyer operators and maintenance roles, approved procedures, quality checks, recipes, backups, manuals, spares, training records and safe restart or fault-recovery practice.
Final decision
Record accepted scope, outstanding non-blocking items, warranty or service start basis where contracted, document status and responsibility for remaining work. Do not present SAT as local statutory approval.
Buyer questions
Questions to settle before the next project gate
Can FAT replace site acceptance testing?
No. FAT cannot prove the final building, utilities, local connections, installation, adjacent systems, site materials and operating team.
Can equipment ship with FAT open actions?
Only under the agreed decision process. Actions should be classified with owner, due date, evidence and impact on shipment and later gates.
Who supplies test bottles and packaging?
The contract and test plan should name the source, quantity, approval status, delivery date and responsibility for representative materials at each test.
Is SAT the same as regulatory approval?
No. SAT is contractual technical evidence for the agreed project boundary; local product, building, safety and regulatory approvals remain separate responsibilities.
Move this project question forward
Need to resolve Water Bottling Plant Factory Test vs Site Acceptance Test for your water bottling plant?
The project needs continuity, not two disconnected reports.
Not sure which data matters? Send what you have and state the decision you need to make.
2. Attach the decision inputs
- Test matrix
- FAT record
- Staged site testing
- Resources and readiness
Send target capacity and SKUs, source-water report, site utility schedule, building layout and required project milestones.
3. Confirm the next planning step
The project desk can identify missing inputs and a practical next step. Final engineering, configuration, compliance and commercial terms remain project-specific.
Email the project desk
Submit a plant brief
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Allot Tech (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. · sales@allottech.com · Project telephone: +86 186 6213 1120 / +1 818 262 0958