Define Combi line recovery where accepted production resumes, rather than when individual machines move again. Agree the normal stop cases, the condition of any included buffer and the treatment of affected material. Give suppliers and the factory team a common handover to demonstrate.
Jiangsu ASG Packaging Machinery Group describes its CGF Combi block as integrating blowing, filling and capping, with preform handling and heating among its systems. That identifies connected processes to review, not an included buffer, automatic restart, recovery time or loss-free response. Request the proposed configuration and its documented boundary.
Manufacturer source: ASG CGF Combi equipment
Choose the point that defines recovered production
Identify where accepted output will be counted or sampled. Combi discharge and downstream labeling or packing output are different observation points. State which point the proposal covers and which equipment, services and checks are included before recovery is accepted.
Keep the beverage, approved bottle-and-closure combination and agreed operating conditions consistent for the comparison. This review concerns recovery of the selected production arrangement. A change to another format or recipe introduces separate questions and should not silently alter the test boundary.
List normal stop cases before the demonstration
Agree the normal interruptions to assess, such as a specified downstream packaging pause or planned supply interruption. For each included case, identify the affected sections and the conditions that the responsible supplier will demonstrate under the approved operating procedure.
Record the starting state, inter-section communication and each team’s observations under the responsible supplier’s approved procedure. Keep the agreed cases within this documented demonstration scope, and list unassessed situations separately for confirmation.
Draw any buffer where it actually belongs
If buffering is proposed, show its location and the material it holds on the line drawing. Distinguish it from the directly connected Combi stages. Ask which interruption it should absorb and which sections still depend on each other.
Krones’ account of block technology contrasts linked machines with conveyor arrangements using accumulation. This supports reviewing the actual layout and coordination. It does not establish that an ASG proposal includes a buffer or shares another manufacturer’s performance.
Technical reference: linked machines and accumulation
Request the usable buffer allowance, operating assumptions and demonstration starting condition. A nearly empty buffer and one already holding material are different starting states. Conveyor length alone is not a confirmed allowance for every bottle or production condition.
Make restart conditions and responsibility explicit
Ask each supplier to identify the conditions that must be confirmed before its section can resume production. Record the interfaces with product supply, packaging-material supply and downstream equipment, as applicable. Agree who documents the handover when equipment from several suppliers is combined.
Request a clear distinction between notification, readiness and authorization under the proposed operating procedure. Ask which interface information and controls are included and which require existing equipment or site integration. Do not infer a communication protocol or automatic recovery function from the word integrated.
Track material affected by the interruption
Have the proposal identify the preforms, bottles and product that may be affected in each agreed case. Request the configuration-specific method for identifying, holding, checking or removing this material, as applicable. Keep responsibility and the required records visible rather than assuming that all material immediately becomes accepted output.
Ask which checks permit accepted production for the selected beverage and package. Cleaning, clearance and product-condition requirements belong to the approved process and equipment instructions. A restart demonstration alone does not validate preservation or establish shelf life.
Assess the connected handover under the same conditions
Agree which supplied sections participate in the demonstration and document any temporary substitutes. If downstream packaging is outside the test, state that limit. Independent demonstrations of machines running are not the same evidence as the proposed line returning to the agreed accepted-output point.
Observe any included buffer and material disposition within that same boundary. Record manual work, waiting for readiness and other included recovery tasks. The aim is a repeatable account of what was demonstrated, without converting an untested connection into a complete-line acceptance claim.
Record recovery beyond the first movement
Define the events recorded in the trial: the agreed interruption, the relevant restart permissions, the first accepted output and the agreed confirmation of stable accepted production. Use the selected observation point consistently. A first moving bottle and sustained accepted output should remain separate observations.
Record affected or rejected material and additional handling alongside recovery. Compare proposals with matching start states, included tasks and acceptance conditions. Recovery duration and losses need project evidence; do not assign them generic catalogue values.
Attach the handover record to the proposal
Send ASG the line drawing, existing-equipment information and planned interruptions. Request an agreed case list covering buffer assumptions, supplier interfaces, material disposition, accepted-output criteria and unresolved items. Establish what the proposed arrangement will demonstrate before accepting a recovery claim.