6.1.1 Overview

The first step is to provide an outline of the current operation and process. The intent is to clarify the context for the automation project. This outline should include the products being addressed, the operations performed, and the manual input required. Any significant issues with the current operation should be highlighted, particularly if the automation system is intended to offer a solution to these issues.

6.1.2 Automation Concept

Based on the overview, the specification then explains the purpose of the automation system. This part introduces the specific requirements to be achieved by the automation, although these will be specified in more detail later. At this stage, the specification should highlight the key stages in the automation system, including the part input and output and how this would integrate with the existing operations. Any initial thoughts as to potential concepts and solutions should be identified to provide guidance to the potential vendors. Although the customer may not have developed the final solution and may also be open to alternative approaches, the specification should offer some guidance because this assists the vendors in understanding the objectives of the customer and the level of automation they will be considering. Providing this information also helps vendors determine if the project is suitable for their expertise. Providing clear direction reduces the time spent by the vendors in the development of their proposals. It also reduces the time required by the customer in both providing the assistance required by the vendors to understand the requirements and the assessment of the proposals when they arrive.

6.1.3 Requirements

This section of the specification is critical because it defines the main parameters and operating requirements for the automation system. First, details of the products are provided. These details include dimensions, weights, and possibly drawings for each of the parts and any assemblies to be considered. The specification must state any tolerances on these dimensions, as well as any tolerances on the presentation of the input parts, if relevant. These tolerances must be the actual tolerances that the automation must handle rather than anything detailed on drawings. Therefore, this section can provide the major challenge. However, it is key to the success of the project. If the system is developed to accommodate a range of tolerances but, in reality, it is presented with parts outside of those tolerances, it will not operate successfully.

The output requirements must also be specified. In particular, the document should address whether the output is to be presented in a specific way (e.g. stacked on a pallet with a particular stacking pattern). The interface of this output to the following operations may also need to be stated, particularly if manual intervention is required at this stage.

The required throughput, or cycle time, for the system must be defined, as well as the availability required of the system, which is the percentage of time the system is expected to be operational and available to work. The actual production output required is the combination of the throughput and availability. It is not sensible to aim for a cycle time that achieves the required production output at 100% availability because this does not allow for any downtime due to maintenance, material replenishment, lack of operators or any other factor that can impact on the availability of the system.

If the system is to handle more than one product, or more than one product size, the batch sizes should be discussed. Additionally, the specification should cover the requirement for the product changeover, which could be automatic or require manual input. The need for any checking, to ensure the correct product is being processed, should also be included. In addition, it may be necessary to address any implications for the run-out to allow the system to be emptied of a product. The document should also detail any anticipated need for manual intervention and how this is to be achieved.

The customer should include some description of the controls and particularly the human machine interfaces (HMI). This may not be the detail of exactly what equipment is to be provided but rather the functionality that is expected. Such requirements include operator selectable functions, such as start, stop and access to system requests. The customer can also help the process by specifying the types of errors to be logged and how they will be logged (e.g. over what period and the level of fault diagnosis that is expected). If possible, any overall requirement for error recovery should be described. Also, the specification should include any requirement for production management information, such as parts per hour, downtime and cause. If any of this information is to be provided to an external system, this requirement must also be defined. The types and numbers of displays may be specified to provide a guide to the vendors.

Finally, the document should include any specific requirements relating to guarding, safety, and environmental issues. For example, the specification should address the construction of the guarding, such as solid panels, weld mesh or plastic, and also any preferences as to the guarding of operator access stations, such as roller shutter doors or light guards. If there are any requirements for dust or fume extraction, these also need to be included.

6.2.1 Free Issue

If any equipment is to be free-issued by the customer, that equipment must be detailed, including the specification and supplier details. This free-issue equipment may be existing machines or new machines that the customer intends to purchase as part of the project. If these are to be integrated within the automation system, the customer needs to define the specification of these machines and how they are to be interfaced with the automation system. This interface information includes communication as well as mechanical issues, such as access for unloading and reloading. If the machines are to be delivered to the vendor during the project, the availability and timing should be detailed and also the delivery and return should be covered. If any parts are to be provided during the project, as might happen for testing, the type and availability of these and the timing should be detailed.

6.2.2 Safety

It is important to identify the safety requirements and, in particular, any customer specific requirements that should be covered. If there are any specific items that are not to be included in the scope of the vendor, such as fume extraction equipment, the specification should clarify the interface between that to be provided by the vendor and that to be provided by the customer.

6.2.3 Services

The vendor needs to be made aware of the provision of services to the automation system. In particular, the power and air, including the location and number of service drops, which are available for the system. It is also important to state who will be responsible for the quality of these services.

6.2.4 Project Management

The specification should clearly define the expectations of the customer with regard to project management. For example, the document should present the timescale within which the name and contact details of the vendor’s project manager are to be provided. This may also include a requirement for the project kick off meeting to take place within a specific number of days after order placement, the objectives of the kick off meeting, the frequency and location of subsequent meetings, and the frequency and requirements for any project reports and updates to the timing plan. It is often beneficial to specify that the project manager will provide details of the project team, including any major subcontractors, at the kick off meeting and confirm the project timing plan within a short period following this meeting. There are often changes to a project once the work has commenced, and it may be worthwhile to specify how the customer and vendor will decide on any changes. This includes the level of authority required from the customer side, as well as recording and reporting requirements to ensure there are no disagreements related to variances in cost as a result of these changes.

6.2.5 Design

In this section, the specification describes the method by which the design is to be developed, including any CAD tools. The section should include the customer’s need to review designs prior to manufacture, if appropriate. It may be beneficial to require the development of a functional design specification (FDS) as the first stage of the project, with appropriate customer reviews and approvals, prior to the commencement of any manufacture or software development. This may include the requirement for a failure mode effect analysis to identify risks within the project, potential solutions to mitigate these risks and the party responsible for providing these solutions. The FDS provides a detailed specification of exactly what is to be provided, the planned performance of the equipment and how it is to be operated. The specification should explain any requirement to review the safety aspects of this FDS, particularly if specific safety personnel from the customer side are to be involved.

6.2.6 Manufacture and Assembly

The customer may wish to request certain standards, such as company standards, are applied to the manufacture of items within the scope of supply, including the software. The customer may also have specific standards for equipment or manufacturers of equipment. These must be provided, either at this stage of the specification or in the design stage. The customer may also wish to gain access, subject to reasonable notice, to view the system during manufacture and assembly, in order to view progress, and the customer should state this requirement within the specification.

6.2.7 Predelivery Tests

Prior to the shipment of the system to the customer, the vendor normally performs tests to ensure the system meets the customer requirements. These are known as the factory acceptance tests (FAT). The complexity and completeness of these tests is very dependent on the automation system to be provided and the scope of supply provided by the vendor. The tests should be designed to determine if the vendor has met the criteria required by the customer as detailed throughout the specification. The tests therefore should include an overview of the system and the component parts, as well as the overall operation and functionality.

The performance of the system should also be tested. This can range from simply the striking of a welding arc on a welding system, with the customer being responsible for the fixtures and programming, to the full operation of a system for a number of hours to prove the functionality, cycle time, and reliability. In the latter case, the customer must be prepared to make product available to the vendor both to develop and test the system, as well as the FAT. The customer should also specify who will operate the system for the tests and the period, or number of parts to be produced, to define the length of the tests. If free-issue equipment is involved within the project, the impact of this on the performance of the system must be considered. Also the consequence of any failures during the FAT, in particular how the FAT should proceed, must be specified. The specification should clearly define the actual tests to be performed, especially those that involve a measure of performance such as cycle time, reliability or quality. These are discussed further in Section 6.3.

Defining the FAT can be a challenge. It is important to undertake tests, with appropriate timescale and detail, to provide a reasonable indication that the system is performing to the specification. However, the test condition is not the real production situation, and therefore, the tests should not be so onerous that they cannot be realistically achieved.

6.2.8 Delivery

If there are any specific issues related to delivery, these should be identified in the specification. This may relate to the notice period required, the time of arrival, the offloading and positioning of equipment, the sequence of the delivery for larger pieces of equipment or the responsibility for the return of parts or equipment that has been free-issued and the removal of packing materials.

6.2.9 Installation and Commissioning

It may be necessary to specify that the vendor must conduct a site survey to confirm the location of the system and to check access and the adjacent equipment. It may also be necessary to check the floor to ensure it is appropriate both in terms of condition and strength. If the customer does not specify that these are requirements to be conducted by the vendor, the vendor will assume the customer will cover these issues.

The specification should ask the vendor to provide a layout drawing confirming the positions of the equipment within the system and also the position of the services. This information should be checked against the existing facility. The customer can provide details of the existing facility and ask the vendor to check, or the customer can check based on the information provided by the vendor. It is worthwhile to identify the approach to be taken in the specification, particularly if it is the former.

The specification should also request an installation plan at an appropriate point in the project. This should identify the number of personnel involved, the hours they are planning to work, any assistance required from the customer and also any specific requirements that may impact existing production. If there are any constraints relating to access to the site, these should be stated as well. The specification should also state that the vendor is responsible for ensuring that all its personnel, and any subcontract personnel, adhere to all contractors’ site rules and health and safety rules in operation at the relevant site, including the successful conclusion of any appropriate training and the provision of all necessary safety equipment and personal protection equipment.

6.2.10 Final Testing and Buy-Off

Once the commissioning phase has been finished, there is usually a final test that, when completed successfully, provides for the buy-off by the customer and the handover of the system from the vendor to the customer. This test is often called the site acceptance test (SAT), and it follows a similar format to the FAT discussed in Section 6.2.7. The SAT is normally more detailed, with testing over a longer period or with higher volumes of product than is used in the FAT, because, at this stage, full operation under production conditions can be achieved.

The specification should describe the parameters for the tests, including the type and length of the tests. The SAT may consist of three stages, the first being an inspection of the equipment and documentation to ensure they are in line with the initial specification (URS) and any changes agreed throughout the project. The second stage is the operation of the system for a defined period to determine the cycle time, or throughput, and the quality of the product output. The final test might be over an extended period to determine the availability of the system.

As part of the definition for the tests, specification should identify the personnel who will operate the system. These may be the customer’s personnel, but there may also be a role for the vendor’s personnel, particularly during the availability test, because they will have better knowledge of the system and will be able to rectify any problems more efficiently. It is important to define the method by which the tests are to be measured and recorded to avoid any ambiguity. Further details are discussed in Section 6.3. Also, the actions to be taken in the event of a test failure must be defined. For example, the customer may wish the vendor to correct any problems and then restart the full SAT test or restart the relevant element of the SAT.

These tests are one of the most important elements of the specification. This is particularly true if the vendor is providing a “turnkey solution”, that is, they are responsible for the complete system. The FAT is important because it can avoid the need to correct problems on the customer side, which is preferable for both customer and vendor. However, the SAT is more important because this provides the final acceptance of the system. Without a clear definition of the SAT, there can be no clear buy-off criteria and, therefore, no measurements against which the vendor can be held accountable in the event that the system does not perform as anticipated. Thus, it is most important that the customer carefully considers this element of the specification and ensures that the defined tests and measures provide a realistic assessment of the system as it should operate in production.

6.2.11 Standby

A customer may request that the vendor retain one or more engineers on site for a period after the system has entered production. This may be limited to the period of the SAT, or it may be extended beyond this period to provide assistance to the customer’s engineers in the event of any problems. The requirement for standby normally depends on the complexity of the system and the experience of the customer’s engineers. If standby is considered necessary, it should be specified within the URS, including both the period required and the number of shifts to be covered.

6.2.12 Training

Training is an important aspect of any automation system. There will always be a need for some training, unless the system is a repeat of a previous installation. The training may include a number of different requirements. First, there may be a need for the customer’s personnel to attend robot training courses at the vendor’s premises. Second, the customer will need training on the actual system, covering both operation and maintenance, including preventative maintenance, fault finding, and error recovery. This latter requirement is often covered during the period of commissioning, SAT, and standby. It may be necessary to provide training to multiple personnel, both operators and maintenance personnel, across a number of shifts. If possible, the customer should identify the numbers of personnel from each category to be trained. It is important that appropriate training is included, and the customer should at a minimum require the vendor to specify the training that is included and when and where this will take place.

6.2.13 Documentation

The customer should also specify what documentation they expect to receive, including the desired format and number of copies. This might include an operation and maintenance manual to cover the instructions for safe use of the system, error codes and fault recovery procedures, recommended preventative maintenance, and also details of recommended spare parts and consumable items. A second documentation package might include more details of the as-built system, covering items such as electrical drawings, software listings, system certifications, and the FDS. It is important that the customer defines what documentation is expected as part of the overall delivery of the system.

6.2.14 Warranty

It may be worthwhile for the customer to specify the warranty period they expect for the system, particularly if they wish to have cover for a period longer than 12 months. The point at which the warranty commences should also be specified, which may be completion of the SAT, rather than the delivery date. The specification should also state any interest in a service contract for the period of the warranty, or extended beyond this period, covering annual preventative maintenance visits or breakdown callout cover. The vendor can be requested to include these items within the proposal, either as standard or as an option to the main price.

6.2.15 Other Items

The URS should identify the main customer point of contact, including all relevant contact details. This may be multiple personnel, such as engineering and purchasing, as appropriate. If multiple personnel are listed, the responsibilities should be clearly identified to direct the vendor to the appropriate contact point. Also any preferred equipment vendors should be identified if appropriate. Relevant standards should be specified if not already covered, and any customer specific standards should be included in the package sent to the vendors. The anticipated timing for the project could also be included if the planned production start date is known and this information is not covered elsewhere.