YD DU UT TS SACCEPTANCE ES SA AC C Y D U T S E S A C OPX INTEL: FACTORY Y E TESTS
CONDUCTING FATs IS MORE ESSENTIAL THAN EVER The more complex or custom the project or situation, the greater the value it will derive from an in-depth review of the FAT protocol. ROY GREENGRASS DIRECTOR OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING, IMPOSSIBLE FOODS
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HE CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS (CPG) and food manufacturing industries are under more pressure than ever to respond to business demands, such as: • Increased capacity. • Speed to market. • New technology introduction. • Making more with less. • Leveraging capital budgets. In this ever-tightening, resource-constrained environment, why is it more essential than ever to properly plan for and execute factory acceptance tests (FATs)? Don’t FATs cost extra time, money and product waste? Isn’t my contract with the OEM or my design firm going to assure me that the new equipment works? Unfortunately, the reality is the absence of an FAT or a poorly prepared one can significantly delay a startup, increase costs and cause numerous ongoing operational issues. Significant time and expertise is lost when issues arise on the job site when technical solutions or quality cannot be easily fixed at the factory. Another factor is that most contracts specify that passing an FAT is a criterion for payment. Purchase orders or contract terms are derived from the functional requirement document. It is important that this test be witnessed by a technically competent project manager with operational knowledge or owner representative to ensure compliance. Being part of an entrepreneurial startup company is exciting, challenging, invigorating and, at times, overwhelming. Impossible Foods is an innovative food technology company with a strong scientific and manufacturing knowledge base. However, limited staff resources or time constraints to meet project timelines does not mean FATs should be avoided to execute a project more quickly. Just as there are protocols for proving a science or experimental thesis, it is also important to use similar due diligence for the factory acceptance process. I participated on the OpX Leadership Network team that published the document “One Voice Factory
Acceptance Tests: Protocols for Capital Equipment in the CPG Industry” in late 2015. I can attest to the value of FATs. When properly planned and executed, FATs provide benefits that far outweigh the costs. Two overriding benefits are vertical startups and sustainable operational reliability.
It all adds up Do the math on vertical startups. How much would it mean to your business to give back an extra week or two in production? Most managers agree there are ways that you can significantly compress the traditional ramp-up time of a new production line without increasing the size of your team or suppliers’ workloads. Consider how much cost is associated to wasted on-site labor. Startups are the tip of the iceberg. The reoccurring value is earned through sustainable operational reliability. You can use the OpX Total Cost of
Impossible Foods is a Silicon Valleybased company known for the plantbased Impossible Burger. The company’s mission is to make the global food system more sustainable. The company aims to give people the taste and nutritional benefits of meat in a plant-based product. Photo courtesy of Impossible Foods.
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