Testing and acceptance
Calculate FAT materials from the agreed test plan rather than ordering an arbitrary box of bottles. You need approved samples for setup, each timed run, quality checks, changeovers and any agreed retest allowance. Confirm the plan with the supplier before shipping trial materials.
For a hypothetical single-pass run at 6,000 bottles/hour lasting 30 minutes, the run alone consumes 6,000 × 30 ÷ 60 = 3,000 bottles. At one cap per bottle it also needs 3,000 caps. This arithmetic is a planning example, not a recommended FAT duration or machine rating.
Ask the supplier to estimate setup, sampling, changeover and possible retest material. State each allowance in the material schedule instead of hiding it inside a universal percentage. Identify any testing that changes or destroys a sample.
Send the intended production bottle and cap references, drawings and lot information. Label packaging with format, drawing revision, supplier lot and quantity. Record any prototype or substitute samples because their behavior may not represent production supply.
Confirm the arrival date needed before FAT, receipt inspection and storage instructions. Decide who owns shipping, damaged/missing material, unused stock and retained evidence. A shortage should lead to a revised test plan or reschedule decision, not an undocumented shorter acceptance run.
Agree what the reuse permits the trial to demonstrate. Repeated handling or reused closures may not represent new production packaging, so label limitations in the acceptance record.
The contracted test plan should identify the required formats, representative cases and any explicitly deferred validation. Do not assume one format proves the entire range.
Document the delay and decide whether to postpone or run a limited preliminary test. Do not report a substitute-cap trial as final acceptance of the intended closure.
Guides
Next procurement decision
Name the approved samples, test duration, good count, rejects, inspection records and open-item closure.