The packing list is the least conspicuous document in the set supplied with the machine, and it is also the easiest one to write in a way that is of no use. The usual way of writing it is: one main unit, one pump set, a number of filter elements, a number of spare parts, one set of documents. It looks complete, but on site the items cannot actually be collected against the list, because not one of the entries says which item it is, where it is fitted or when it will be needed. The way we write a packing list is to match every entry to what happens on site if it is missing.
Every entry has to map onto a specific operation
What is written on the packing list ends up being used in a specific on-site action. The vacuum pump set X-100 and the Roots blower set JRP-500 map onto the two actions of drawing a vacuum and degassing, the screw oil pump ZH maps onto tank circulation and the oil inlet and outlet, and the fine filter element 150-500-5 maps onto the fine filtration stage at the oil outlet. Writing out this layer of correspondence makes both the missing and the incorrect items readable on site, without a phone call back to confirm.
| Packing list item | The operation it maps onto | Check point |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuum pump set X-100 | Establishing the working vacuum | The model and the quantity, and whether it has been fixed onto the frame |
| Roots blower set JRP-500 | Booster stage, to improve the ultimate vacuum | Whether the coupling and the rotation direction have been confirmed |
| Screw oil pump ZH | Tank circulation and oil inlet | The rotation direction, the direction of the port, the coupling guard |
| Fine filter element 150-500-5 | Fine filtration at the oil outlet | Whether the number of elements and the way they are fitted match the model |
| Accompanying documents and special tools | Commissioning, handover and subsequent maintenance | Whether the number of sets and the number of items are complete |
The section for the accompanying documents also has to be written in detail. The factory test records and the certificate of conformity, the packing list, the operating instructions and the drawings each carry a number of copies. The filter elements of the ZYD series use a quick-fit structure and do not need special tools for routine replacement; once details like this are written down, the site does not have to look for tools on the spot.
We go through the list ourselves before the machine leaves the factory
The packing list is not written for the customer to read; it is written for the delivery site to use. Before shipment, the assembly team takes the supplied items and the accompanying documents off the storage rack against this list and checks them item by item. The checked list travels with the goods, and any missing item is made up in the factory. This step looks like a duplication, but it keeps the problem in a place where it can be handled: fitting one joint in the factory takes half an hour, whereas on site, if the part takes three days to arrive, the working window has already passed by then.
The way of checking is plain: count the physical items against the rack positions, and sign the list to confirm the count once it is done. The confirmed list is made out in duplicate, one copy travelling with the goods and one kept on file. If the site later has a question about the number of supplied items, the counting record from the factory can be looked up directly, and the answer does not have to be given from memory.
The packing list has to travel with the machine
Once the accompanying documents have been sent to the site with the machine, their value depends on whether they can actually be used there. The packing list is not a piece of paper thrown in with the crate; it is a node in the delivery process: arrival of the machine, unpacking, counting and positioning, and at each step somebody has to sign the list to confirm that the physical items match the document. The signature looks like a simple action, but it turns the counting from a verbal handover into an action with a record behind it.
- Every entry on the list can be located on the physical machine, and no vague entry of a number of items is allowed.
- The supplied items and the main unit arrive together in the same delivery, with no second shipment.
- After the count on site, both parties confirm it and a signed receipt record is kept.
- The spare parts list is kept separate from the packing list; the spare parts supplied with the machine and the spare parts bought later are not the same thing.
This looks like a small piece of work, but it solves a very practical problem: after the delivery is complete, the most common thing said on site is that something is missing. What is missing is often not on the main unit but in the supplied items and the documents, and writing the list in detail is the only way to find such problems in advance. That is why we go through the list ourselves before shipment as well, so that the entries found missing are dealt with in the factory and not carried out to the site.
Whether a packing list is a good one is not judged by how detailed it is, but by whether the site can collect everything against it without making a phone call.
