Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) - Who and Why?
Who should attend a factory acceptance test for a new piece of equipment (extruder). And the reasons why? Thank you!
We always send our maintenance manager, the president of the company (we are a pretty small business and he is involved in everything), the General Manager and/or the Production Manager. I could also see sending the Sanitation Manager (if separate from Quality) and the Quality Manager if you wanted. We personally do not send sanitation or Quality (myself) because the individuals listed above have enough knowledge to know good from bad so that I can stay at the plant where I am most needed. They all bring different ideas, background, and knowledge.
Knowledge persons from different fields or departments. Recommend, at least one person from:
- Operations
- Maintenance
- Quality / Sanitation
- Project Lead (whoever that may be)
These don't have to be management staff. They can be operational / floor staff if they have sufficient knowledge of their areas. Part of a FAT test should be operating the equipment, testing it in all various operational modes, and CIP / sanitation. Of course, anything mechanical and maintenance related.
I've seen enough new equipment FATs that even leading manufacturers in the industry do not fully understand the cleaning requirements of their own equipment. If you have a sanitation expert, send that person.