The factory acceptance test is the last moment a problem is cheap. After it, the machine is on a truck and every fix costs freight.
What a real report contains
Measured values, not ticks. Instrument serial numbers with valid calibration certificates. The date, the names of who witnessed it, and photographs of the machine as tested with the nameplate legible. A report of ticked boxes with no numbers is a delivery note dressed up as a test.
A test protocol without instrument calibration certificates is a piece of paper, not evidence.
Four checks before you sign
Tested at your duty point
Not at the manufacturer’s best efficiency point. If the report shows a different condition, it is not testing what you bought.
The configuration matches the order
Motor rating, voltage, frequency, materials, seals. Check against the purchase specification, not the brochure.
Deviations are written down
Every FAT has some. A report with none usually means they were not recorded.
Photographs show the actual unit
Serial number visible in at least one frame, matching the report header.
If something fails
It is resolved at the factory, on the factory’s time, before shipment. That is why the balance payment is tied to the FAT and not to the delivery date — it is the only leverage that survives once the container is sealed.
