Filling machine buyer workbench
Filling Machine RFQ Checklist: Prepare a Quote-Ready Brief
Prepare a filling machine RFQ with product and bottle data, sample requirements, output by SKU, line interfaces and open questions before requesting a China quote.
Download a reusable project brief
The worksheet is a plain-text file that can be edited in any text editor and attached to an inquiry. It contains blank fields, a per-SKU record, scope categories and an acceptance section.
Resolve the missing inputs before the quotation becomes a commitment
A useful equipment inquiry can start before every detail is fixed. Separate confirmed facts, working assumptions and decisions awaiting a trial. Ask each supplier to identify which unresolved items could change configuration, price or delivery timing.
Can I ask for a quote without a viscosity measurement?
Yes, for an initial review. Describe the product at filling temperature, provide a flow video and explain foam, settling, strings or particles. Mark viscosity as unmeasured instead of assigning a guessed number. Ask what sample and measurement conditions the manufacturer needs before selecting the pump, valves and nozzles.
What if the final bottle or cap is not selected?
Send the candidate drawings and label each revision. Include the smallest opening, tallest container, least stable base and closure alternatives. A photograph helps discussion but does not establish dimensional tolerances. Keep guides, cap tooling and change parts provisional until the agreed production-intent packaging is checked.
How should one RFQ describe several products and fill sizes?
Use one row for each product-and-package combination, with fill amount, required good output, batch size and change frequency. State which format drives the investment. Ask for output and change-part requirements per row; do not apply one headline speed to every liquid, bottle and dose.
Which details matter when adding a filler to an existing line?
Provide conveyor height, width and travel direction, infeed and discharge drawings, upstream supply and downstream constraints. List voltage, phase, frequency, available air and the proposed signal handoff. Assign an owner to connections and safety integration; matching machine speed alone does not prove line compatibility.
What should be agreed before sending samples for a filling trial?
Confirm the sample quantity, packaging revision, product condition and test objective with the receiving team first. Supply relevant handling and safety information, and agree return or disposal arrangements. Request recorded dose results, good output, rejects and stoppages for the agreed run; a short water demonstration cannot validate every production condition.
How do I prevent changed assumptions from invalidating competing quotes?
Issue a dated RFQ revision and an open-items list. Give each bidder the same updated inputs and request a written deviation list. Separate mandatory scope, options and buyer-supplied work. When a bottle, recipe or throughput target changes, ask whether tooling, trial results, price and schedule still apply.
Five fields for a first project email
- Product and process: liquid family, filling temperature, known behavior and measurements still needed.
- Package matrix: bottle, closure, dose and drawing revision for every intended SKU.
- Production plan: good containers per shift, available running time, batch sizes and product changes.
- Supply boundary: what enters and leaves the line, existing equipment, utilities and responsibility for interfaces.
- Decision stage: budget review or final proposal, destination, target commissioning date and unresolved inputs.
An RFQ and machine trial organize equipment decisions; they are not food-safety, shelf-life or regulatory validation. Confirm destination requirements with qualified specialists. Share only necessary technical information through an agreed channel, with confidential details handled separately.
One row per product and package
| Field | Buyer input | Supplier response |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Recipe family, temperature, viscosity or flow, foam and particles | Proposed principle, product-contact path and trial assumptions |
| Container | Material, dimensions, neck finish, fill quantity and sample revision | Handling range, guides, fixtures and change parts |
| Closure and label | Closure, liner, label drawing and finished pack | Feeding, application, inspection and consumable limits |
| Output | Good bottles per shift, planned time and SKU schedule | Nominal and sustained rates with test conditions |
| Quality | What quantity and package outcomes will be measured | Method, sample plan, agreed limits and retest procedure |
| Cleaning | Recipes, change frequency and product-recovery needs | Tasks, parts, cleaning boundary and expected downtime |
State what the line starts and ends with
Identify whether the proposal starts with prepared liquid, raw ingredients, purchased bottles or PET preforms. Identify whether it ends at a filled bottle, a closed and labeled bottle, a shipping case or a pallet. This boundary changes the project more than the word “automatic.”
Require included, optional, buyer-supplied or excluded status for each item. Match the proposals for tanks, pumps, conveyors, cap handling, inspection, coding, labels, packers, change parts, utilities, documents, spares, testing and installation. Add a named owner to every interface.
A performance clause needs a test basis
Instead of “high accuracy and high speed,” specify the package, product condition, fill quantity, run duration, good-output basis, measurement procedure and agreed acceptance limits. If a substitute product is used at a factory test, record what it can and cannot demonstrate.
A useful supplier response states deviations openly. Ask for separate records of achieved output, rejected packages, fill measurements, closure checks, stoppages and unresolved items. A video supports the record but does not replace measured results.
Attach files that reduce assumptions
- Bottle and cap drawings with revision numbers; include samples when requested for testing.
- A product data sheet and relevant safety information for the actual formulation.
- Photos or a short video showing foam, flow, stringing or particles where useful.
- A dimensioned factory plan, access route and utility availability.
- The SKU and campaign schedule, including the most difficult product and format.
- Existing-equipment information when the new machine must integrate into a running line.
Remove unrelated confidential information from attachments. Retain a versioned copy of the RFQ and send the same version to each bidder so later changes can be traced.
Compare quotations in two passes
First, compare technical fit. Resolve package compatibility, demonstrated duty, equipment boundary, cleaning, utilities and acceptance. Mark assumptions that still need samples or drawings.
Then compare the commercial scope. Check currency, named delivery basis, payment and delivery milestones, packing, installation, travel, training, spares, warranty and service responsibility. This guide organizes the questions; agreed contractual terms belong in the actual supplier proposal and purchase documents.
Buyer questions
Can I request a budget estimate before samples are ready?
Yes. Label it as a budget-stage request and list the assumptions that need confirmation. Final engineering and performance commitments may require representative product and packaging.
What if one supplier excludes an item another includes?
Put the item into the scope matrix and obtain its cost and responsible party before comparing totals. Do not treat a blank or vague description as an inclusion.
Does using the worksheet send my information automatically?
No. The download and printable record are local templates. You choose what to complete and how to send it through the existing contact or inquiry route.
Continue your equipment specification
Next steps for this specification
Request a configuration for your actual product
Allot Tech helps buyers define and source filling and packaging equipment from China. Send the product, container, closure, required good output and destination so the proposed scope can be checked against your application.