Recently a large international supplier of packaging equipment to the life science industry posted on LinkedIn touting their capability to perform a ‘Remote Factory Acceptance Test’ (FAT). (Great timing on their part!) Since then, I’ve had numerous conversations about the concept. Although ‘the New Normal’ is an over-worked phrase, it certainly applies here. There is a lot of interest in alternative ways to ensure that equipment is ready to be shipped to the Owner.
So what would a ‘Remote FAT’ look like? How can it be successfully accomplished? What adjustments would need to be made?
The End Game
The objective of a Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) is to gain a high level of confidence that the system will perform in your facility. In a Remote FAT, you won’t have the benefit of physically putting your hands on the equipment, so the focus needs to be on critical performance parameters, quality features, safety features, and issues that are better solved at the factory than on your floor.
First Things First
You’ll need to start by getting buy-in from project stakeholders – which just got a lot easier given ongoing travel restrictions. Still, you’ll need to set expectations because this will not be the same old FAT. If it’s not too late, include an FAT strategy in the Project Plan. If the Project Plan was completed before the pandemic hit, consider updating it.
The FAT still needs to be rigorous enough to meet our objective. It cannot be reduced to a simple video of the machine(s) running. Expect some testing to move from the FAT to the Site Acceptance Test (SAT). Both sides will need to trust a little more and recognize that they have a shared interest in a successful outcome. Going forward, plans for a remote FAT should be defined during the bidding process so the vendor can bid and plan accordingly. Speaking of the bidding process, Procurement will likely want to adjust the payment schedule to reflect final acceptance in your factory.
Preparation
There are two sides to this: Coordination and Technology. There has been a lot of focus on the latter; everything from Zoom calls with mobile phones to remotely accessing the control system and augmented reality.
On the coordination side, Vendor and Owner will both need to do some planning. Just as a team of participants can divide up the work during a conventional FAT, it should be possible to record multiple testing activities executed simultaneously. Planned efficiently, those multiple, simultaneously executed Test Steps performed at the factory can be streamed to multiple conference rooms or offices at the Owner’s facility. Envision a video feed along with shots of the touch screen and a copy of the test plan on a split screen, all accompanied by two-way audio. Meanwhile, at the factory, the conference room typically occupied by the Owner’s team will be equipped to host daily status meetings and updates. If you worry that your offices are not currently up to date with the technology needed, keep in mind that money saved on airline tickets and hotel rooms will buy some very nice video equipment.
Above all, there must be a commitment to the process. We’ve all heard, ‘I can’t spare anyone from Operations (or Quality or Maintenance or …) for a week to attend an FAT. Remote FATs present an opportunity to overcome that hurdle. It is now possible to trade a week away from the plant for a week in your own conference rooms, with a bonus of reduced travel time. If it is worthwhile for Owners’ team members to travel for the FAT, it should be equally worthwhile for them to commit to blocking out their schedules to spend time watching and communicating via video connections, with the added bonus of being on site for day to day decision making If you’re on the team, assume you need to be available to observe execution of Test Steps. Once again, buy-in from team members is essential.
As with a conventional FAT, a schedule should be provided by the organizers in advance so that everyone knows where and when to be there. The schedule can still be reviewed at daily morning and afternoon meetings and adjusted, just as with conventional FATs. And don’t forget to include breaks and mealtimes on the schedule. We have all experienced the benefit of the unstructured conversations between professionals from both teams over lunch (even remotely).
While Remote FAT’s are a relatively new experience for us all, our experience managing and participating in dozens of FATs lends itself to making this transition with a solid foundation. I would like to hear from you – what are your concerns for a successful Remote FAT? If you’ve had experience with a technology that worked particularly well, tell us about it. This is new territory and we’re in this together.
Stay tuned! Next week I’ll address documenting and executing the Factory Acceptance Test. In the meantime, I’d like to hear your thoughts and comments below or shoot me an email at andy@malcolmconsulting.com.
Speak Your Mind