| Pallet Compatibility | Supported pallet footprint and condition | Common international footprints include 1,200 × 800 mm and 1,200 × 1,000 mm. The design should also define acceptable pallet damage, bottom-board spacing, and skew tolerance. | Approved pallet drawings, load samples, dimensional tolerance records, and site acceptance test results | Prevents jams and reduces the risk that local pallet variations will require later modifications. |
| Load Capacity | Rated load per pallet and load distribution | The rating must be calculated for the heaviest pallet, the longest conveyor span, acceleration forces, transfer points, and any accumulation condition. Uniformly distributed loads and concentrated loads should be assessed separately. | Structural calculations, motor and gearbox data, load-testing records, and signed design assumptions | A clear load basis avoids premature wear, drive overload, and warranty disputes. |
| Throughput | Pallets per hour and accumulation performance | Capacity should be stated together with pallet pitch, conveyor speed, start-stop frequency, merge logic, and the required buffer length. Theoretical belt or roller speed alone is not a throughput guarantee. | Simulation results, cycle-time calculations, throughput test protocol, and factory acceptance test data | Makes supplier quotations comparable and exposes bottlenecks before installation. |
| Mechanical Quality | Frame rigidity, roller alignment, weld quality, and surface protection | The specification should identify steel grade or material specification, corrosion-protection method, allowable frame deflection, roller runout, and guarding requirements. | Material certificates, weld inspection records, dimensional inspection reports, coating or galvanizing documentation | Improves service life and reduces alignment problems in high-cycle applications. |
| Controls and Safety | Emergency stops, guarding, sensors, interlocks, and restart behavior | Safety-related control functions should be risk-assessed and designed according to applicable machinery-safety requirements, including ISO 13849-1 where relevant. Electrical equipment commonly references IEC 60204-1. | Risk assessment, safety-circuit validation, electrical schematics, functional test records, and user manuals | Supports safe operation and simplifies regulatory review in the destination market. |
| Regulatory Compliance | Market-specific conformity and documentation | For the European Economic Area, CE marking may apply under relevant legislation. Other destinations may require local electrical, machinery, workplace-safety, or electromagnetic-compatibility requirements. | Declaration of Conformity where applicable, technical file index, electrical test reports, and country-specific compliance checklist | Reduces customs, commissioning, and legal risks caused by incomplete conformity documentation. |
| Quality Management | Process control and corrective-action capability | ISO 9001 certification is a useful quality-management indicator, but it should not replace product-specific inspection, testing, and traceability requirements. | Valid certificate scope, internal inspection plan, nonconformance records, serial-number traceability, and audit results | Helps buyers assess repeatability across large projects and multiple production batches. |
| Energy and Operating Cost | Motor efficiency, control strategy, and idle consumption | Compare connected load, duty cycle, accumulation mode, variable-speed control, standby logic, and regenerative features where applicable. | Motor nameplate data, power-consumption measurements, duty-cycle assumptions, and lifecycle-cost calculation | A lower purchase price may not provide the lowest total cost over years of operation. |
| Service and Spare Parts | Response time, parts availability, and maintainability | The purchase agreement should define spare-parts lists, recommended stock, remote-support hours, escalation contacts, preventive-maintenance intervals, and target response times. | Service-level agreement, parts catalog, maintenance schedule, troubleshooting guides, and technician qualification records | Directly affects uptime, especially when the installation is far from the manufacturing location. |
| Integration Capability | Compatibility with warehouse-control and plant systems | The control specification should define PLC interfaces, network protocol, signal list, barcode or RFID interfaces, fault codes, data ownership, and cybersecurity responsibilities. | Interface-control document, I/O list, network architecture, software backup, FAT records, and integration test results | Limits commissioning delays and reduces dependence on undocumented proprietary settings. |
| Delivery and Installation | Lead time, packing method, installation scope, and acceptance milestones | The quotation should separate engineering, fabrication, factory testing, export packing, shipping, installation, commissioning, and site acceptance activities. | Detailed project schedule, packaging specification, shipping documents, installation method statement, FAT and SAT procedures | Clarifies delivery responsibility and prevents hidden logistics or commissioning costs. |
| Commercial Cost | Total landed cost and total cost of ownership | Compare equipment price, engineering, tooling, packaging, freight, duties, installation, training, spare parts, energy, maintenance, and software-related charges on the same scope basis. | Line-item quotation, Incoterms® rule, payment schedule, warranty terms, exclusions, lifecycle-cost model, and change-order procedure | Creates a fair comparison between suppliers and minimizes unexpected project expenditure. |
| Warranty and Acceptance | Warranty duration, performance guarantee, and defect resolution | Acceptance criteria should be measurable and include throughput, load handling, safety functions, availability assumptions, documentation completeness, and punch-list closure. | Contract warranty clause, FAT/SAT checklist, performance test results, defect log, and final handover dossier | Connects payment and warranty obligations to objectively verifiable system performance. |