The First 72 Hours After Commissioning: What Engineering Should Watch

Why this matters in food manufacturing Commissioning proves functions; sustained production exposes interaction, wear, contamination, operator behaviour and real loading. The first 72 hours should therefore be treated as a controlled observation period. Do not allow early defects to become accepted characteristics of the new machine. 1. Watch reliability signals Record stops, alarms, microstops, resets, component temperatures, leaks, loose fasteners and abnormal noise. Separate genuine equipment defects from training or upstream issues. Trend repeat faults. Three short stops for the same sensor are more important than one longer unrelated event because they show an emerging pattern. 2. Watch product and hygiene Inspect product handling, accumulation, damage, giveaway, reject performance and areas where product or water collects. Confirm cleaning access and that post-clean start-up is repeatable. Look for hygienic problems created by last-minute modifications, temporary cables, brackets or guarding changes. 3. Watch utilities and interfaces Check actual air, steam, water, refrigeration and electrical demand against design. Observe pressure drops and shared utility effects when the line is at full load. Verify communications with upstream/downstream equipment, data systems and reject or inspection…