Mactec Packaging Equipment
Packaging Equipment RFQ Checklist
A packaging equipment request for quotation (RFQ) explains the product, the package and the work the equipment needs to perform. You do not need every answer before the first conversation. Clearly separating known requirements from open decisions helps make that conversation useful.
Start with a brief for the initial discussion
Describe what you are packaging, the proposed package, your current process and the operations you want to change. Include your output goal, available space and any important project constraints. Label preliminary requirements as preliminary.
A budgetary discussion is not the same as an agreed final machine specification. Before comparing firm proposals, confirm that suppliers are addressing the same product formats, operations, options and acceptance requirements.
Packaging equipment RFQ checklist
- Product: describe its form, relevant handling characteristics and any restrictions on contact or exposure. Identify what information requires a confidentiality agreement.
- Package: provide available drawings, dimensions, materials and closure details. Include every format you expect to run and mark unfinished designs.
- Samples: ask which product, packaging, container and closure samples are needed. Agree on safe handling and any suitable substitutes before shipping.
- Operations: list loading, feeding, filling or placement, sealing or closing, printing, inspection and discharge. Mark each as manual, automated or undecided.
- Production: specify batch sizes, product mix, shifts, staffing and required acceptable finished output. Describe how frequently formats change.
- Site: include installation access, operating space, maintenance access and available utilities. State any environmental requirements for technical review.
- Coding and inspection: identify what must be printed, where it belongs and what must be checked. Distinguish positioning requirements from reading or verifying printed information.
- Acceptance and documentation: define the evidence your team needs, who reviews it and which tests or documents belong in the equipment scope.
- Interfaces: describe upstream and downstream equipment and who is responsible for each connection or transfer.
- Schedule and open decisions: distinguish your desired timing from a supplier-confirmed schedule. List decisions still needed before the configuration can be finalized.
Check what each proposal includes
Review the base machine separately from feeders, printers, inspection equipment, tooling, change parts and selected services. Ask which formats are covered and which tasks remain manual. Do not assume that photographs of a similar machine show everything included in your proposal.
Record exclusions as carefully as inclusions. Installation, training, documentation and acceptance support should have an agreed scope, not an inferred one.
Bring the right details for your equipment family
- Blister equipment: define whether you need sealing only or forming, filling and finishing; bring cavity and lidding information.
- Pouch equipment: describe pouch construction and whether the product is dosed or individually placed.
- Filling and closing equipment: include actual container and closure formats and the sequence of operations.
Questions about requesting a quote
What if our package design is still changing?
Share the current concept and mark the alternatives. Ask which decisions affect equipment selection and what must be resolved before a firm configuration can be proposed.
Should we include future products?
Yes, identify them as future requirements or possibilities. Ask the supplier to distinguish confirmed capability from work that would require a separate evaluation.
How do we compare automation levels?
Compare the work performed at each step, not just the word automatic. The manual and automated packaging guide provides a process-by-process checklist.
Start with the information you have
Request an equipment quote using the existing inquiry form.
Compare Mactec equipment families and models, then use the relevant equipment page to request a quote. If you are unsure which platform fits, contact Mactec to discuss the application.