How to use this guide
Use this guide to prepare your requirements. Contact us if you need help choosing a configuration.
A compact packaging line is an interface project, not a shopping list of independent machines. A filler, capper and labeler may each work alone while the connected line still stops because containers are unstable, buffers are missing, controls do not exchange signals or change parts do not cover the complete package range. Use this RFQ checklist to define the whole process before requesting a quotation.
1. Draw the process from incoming material to finished pack
List every required step in order: product feeding, container loading, cleaning or inspection, dosing, cap placement, capping, sealing, labeling, coding, inspection, rejection, accumulation and packing. Mark which steps are included in the project, supplied by the buyer or reserved for a later phase. This prevents an attractive price from hiding a missing interface.
For each step, define the input condition and expected output. For example, caps may arrive loose and require manual placement, or they may require an automatic feeder and chute. Labels may be supplied on rolls with a known core, winding direction and gap. Coding may require space, a trigger and an encoder. Make every boundary visible.
2. Build a package and product matrix
Create one row for every intended product and package combination. Record material behavior, fill or pack range, bottle or pouch dimensions, opening, cap, label, code and target output. Identify which formats are launch priorities and which are future possibilities. A machine should not be claimed to cover an undefined “custom range.”
Send drawings and physical samples where possible. Include the least stable container, smallest opening, largest label and most difficult cap. If the product changes viscosity or temperature, document those conditions. The matrix becomes the basis for change-parts, recipes, FAT and acceptance.
3. Define line output and accumulation
State required good packs per minute under a named product and package condition. Ask the supplier to provide the expected cycle of each station, the likely bottleneck and the effect of operator tasks. Include normal stops for refilling product, containers, caps and labels. A line advertised at one station’s maximum rate may deliver less accepted output.
Decide where accumulation is needed. Without buffer space, a short stop at the labeler may force the filler to stop and increase restart losses. Too much pressure on a conveyor can damage or destabilize containers. The layout should show conveyor lengths, transfer points, guides, sensors and the intended stop-and-restart logic.
4. Specify control and machine interfaces
Ask who supplies the master start/stop, emergency-stop circuit, line-ready signals, fault exchange and speed coordination. Define how upstream equipment stops when downstream accumulation is full, and how the line restarts after a fault. Independent machines should not be assumed to form one compliant safety system merely because their conveyors touch.
Document control voltage, PLC and HMI expectations, recipe access, user levels, alarms and language. If remote support is planned, define the permitted connection method and the buyer’s cybersecurity rules. Final safety and conformity responsibilities depend on destination, integration scope and contract; they require specific review.
5. Provide the real installation environment
Send a dimensioned floor plan with columns, doors, drains, walls, operator aisles and material flow. Identify line direction, working height, ceiling limit, floor loading and access for maintenance. Confirm voltage, frequency, phase, compressed-air pressure and quality, extraction, network and any temperature or washdown conditions.
Mark clean and dirty zones, personnel routes and finished-goods flow if relevant. For food, cosmetics, chemical or regulated applications, define contact materials, cleaning, contamination controls and site documentation. Do not infer suitability from a generic machine finish.
6. Agree on changeover and cleaning
For every format, list the parts that change, the adjustment method and the target changeover approach. Ask whether guides, star wheels, filling nozzles, cap chutes, label sensors or recipes are shared. Identify required tools, lifting aids, storage and line-clearance checks. A broad package range can be commercially useful but adds parts, validation and operator complexity.
Define product draining, removal of contact parts, flushing or manual cleaning, and access around guards and conveyors. The quotation should separate standard provisions from application-specific options. The user’s approved cleaning and safety procedures remain part of the site operation.
7. Define FAT evidence before the order
State which product-package combinations will be tested and who supplies samples. Define run duration, output calculation, fill or weight acceptance, cap result, label position, code quality, alarm tests and changeover demonstration. Agree on video, photos, measured data and the method for recording unresolved items.
A FAT cannot prove every production condition, but it can verify the agreed configuration and expose interface issues before export. Site acceptance should address utilities, final connections, local materials and operating environment that cannot be reproduced at the supplier.
8. Ask for a complete commercial boundary
The quotation should list included machines, conveyors, guards, controls, change parts, spare parts, manuals, drawings, test, export packing and remote support. It should also list exclusions such as product feed tanks, air compressors, extraction, printers, site wiring, installation labor or local conformity work. Confirm Incoterm, lead time, payment, warranty and shipment documents.
Compact line RFQ package
- Process flow and included/excluded stations.
- Product-package-cap-label-code matrix and samples.
- Good-output target with operating assumptions.
- Layout, utilities, operator and material-flow constraints.
- Control, safety and downstream/upstream interface requirements.
- Cleaning and format-change requirements.
- FAT, evidence and acceptance criteria.
- Destination, documentation, packing and support expectations.
MUJIU uses this package to identify missing interfaces and develop a configuration boundary. Final performance and conformity claims apply only to the agreed line, samples, tests and destination scope.