🧀 Site Acceptance Test (SAT): Understanding Acceptance Tests for Cheese Packaging Machines

Site Acceptance Test (SAT): Understanding Acceptance Tests for Cheese Packaging Machines

Discover the purpose of a SAT (Site Acceptance Test) in the food industry, particularly for machines that package cheese slices, and the essential steps of this validation process.

✅ What is a SAT – Site Acceptance Test?

The Site Acceptance Test, or on-site acceptance test, is a key step when installing industrial machinery at a client’s site. It is the moment when it is verified that the machine operates in accordance with the contractual requirements, within its actual operational environment. For example, for machines that package cheese slices, the SAT validates the production rate, efficiency, safety, packaging quality, etc.

However, in 2020, during the height of the health crisis, travel was impossible. We therefore quickly implemented an alternative:

the remote FAT, conducted live.

🛠️ Why is the SAT indispensable?

The Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) is not conducted under the same conditions as those found on the production site.

Therefore, the SAT makes it possible to:

Ensure that the machine is properly integrated into the client’s production line
Validate the contractual performance in its actual operational environment
Guarantee that operators can use and maintain it independently

📋 Steps of a SAT for a cheese slice packaging machine

Preparation and initial conditions

Check connections (electricity, compressed air, cold water, etc.)
Verify room configuration
Ensure availability of the product to be packaged and packaging materials

Basic technical checks

Mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic inspection of the machine
Test safety devices and alarms
Validate interconnections with upstream and downstream equipment

No-load start-up

Start the machine without product to test sequences
Identify any blockages or desynchronizations

Tests under real conditions

Test with cheese packaging material
Observe the machine during continuous operation
Quality control: sealing, cutting, weight of the stacks of cheese slices

Performance test

Simulate real production at contractual speed
Measure output and rejection rate
Verify process consistency

Hygiene and safety

Validate ease of cleaning (critical in the food industry)
Check compliance with current safety standards

Staff training

Train operators in the safe use of the machine
Train maintenance technicians for upkeep and troubleshooting

Final validation and SAT report

Measure machine output during production
Detailed report with results, observations, and photos
If compliant: client’s signature = official acceptance
Otherwise: define a corrective action plan

🧾 In conclusion

The SAT is much more than a simple technical test: it is a strategic validation step that ensures the machine meets contractual requirements and integrates perfectly into the production line. It is also a moment of knowledge transfer, so that teams are trained and ready to operate the machine safely and efficiently.

The signing date of the SAT document also marks the start of the warranty period.