What must be frozen before a machine installation starts
Eleven decisions that have to be closed before the machine reaches the gate. Every one of them costs more to change afterwards.
Imported machine installation — a checklist for Indian plants
What changes when the machine arrives in containers from Japan, Taiwan or Europe, and what to arrange before it lands.
An imported machine is not a heavier version of a local one. The differences are mostly administrative and mostly discovered late.
Before it lands
Get the packing list and the unpacking sequence from the OEM, not from the shipping agent. Which crate is opened first is a technical decision.
Confirm lifting points for each sub-assembly. A machine that ships in five pieces has five sets of lifting arrangements, and only the main frame is usually shown in the manual.
Check the utility specification against Indian supply. Voltage, frequency, phase and control voltage. A 200 V 60 Hz machine needs a transformer decided at order stage, not at commissioning.
Confirm what the OEM engineer will and will not do. Most deputation scopes cover supervision and commissioning, not physical installation. If the plant assumes otherwise, there is a very expensive week where a specialist watches while nobody rigs.
Arrange the OEM engineer’s visit against realistic dates. An engineer flown in for a machine that is not yet positioned is money burnt.
When it lands
Inspect and photograph before unpacking. Shock indicators, tilt indicators, visible crate damage. Insurance claims are decided by what was recorded at that moment.
Unpack under cover if possible. Control cabinets and monsoon do not mix.
Keep the crates until commissioning is complete. Loose items get found in them.
Preserve the documentation set. Manuals, circuit diagrams, spare part lists and the machine’s own test certificate. This is the only time in the machine’s life when all of it is in one place.
Commissioning
Trial with the OEM engineer present, no load then load.
Record the baseline — levelling, alignment, cycle conditions, pressures. Fifteen years later this is the only reference for whether something has drifted.
Get the training done while he is there. Operators and maintenance, separately.
The one that costs most when missed
Utility conversion. It is decided at purchase, discovered at commissioning, and fixed in a hurry.