Relocation and Commissioning of a VFFS Packaging Line
A used VFFS machine and multihead weigher moved from Italy to Bulgaria — IQ/OQ/PQ validation and a full technical dossier ready for БАБХ.
Industries
- Food & beverage
- Snacks / nuts / pasta
- Regulated production (HACCP / БАБХ)
Tech Stack
- VFFS + multihead weigher
- AISI 316 / 304 food-contact
- IP65 / IP69K wash-down
- Oil-free air + N₂ for MAP
- IQ / OQ / PQ + BG HMI
Context and challenge
A used VFFS machine and multihead weigher arrive from a closed plant in Italy. The task: bring them up on a new Bulgarian site under live HACCP / БАБХ requirements — no shortcuts.
Used equipment, new site
The machine comes from a shut-down Italian plant — hygiene baseline and materials have to be proven, not assumed.
HACCP / БАБХ leaves no room for shortcuts
Production can only start after a formal acceptance protocol — every on-site fix-up burns a go-live window.
Non-standard utilities
Oil-free compressed air for direct product contact and N₂ for MAP are not part of a typical plant's utility stack.
Levelling critical for dosing
The multihead weigher is sensitive — even a small out-of-level translates into grammage errors and real money lost.
Solution
A full relocation and commissioning project — from an on-site hygiene audit in Italy to a БАБХ-ready technical dossier in Bulgaria.
Used VFFS + multihead weigher
The backbone of the line, moved from Italy; CIP / COP-compatible deep cleaning before remount on the new site.
Hygiene audit + FDA-compliant seals
Every food-contact surface checked against AISI 316 / 304 certificates; all seals replaced with new, food-grade-certified ones.
IP65 / IP69K enclosures
Cabinets and sensors specified for wash-down with detergents and hot pressurised water — ready for a daily sanitary regime.
Oil-free air + N₂ plumbing
Filtered oil-free air for the packaging side and a nitrogen installation for MAP — built specifically for this line on the new site.
Metal detector + BG-localised HMI
Interface for auto-stop or auto-reject on detection; recipes for different grammages and foil types (PP, PE, laminate).
IQ / OQ / PQ protocols
The standard food & beverage validation path — from drawing-vs-installed verification to a PQ run on real product with measured OEE.
How the commissioning runs
A classic commissioning playbook for regulated food production — from an on-site audit to a БАБХ-ready technical dossier.
Audit
Hygiene audit on the used equipment — material certificates (AISI), IP ratings, seal condition, wash-down tolerance.
Disassembly and sanitary cleaning
Modular dismantle in Italy; deep mechanical and chemical cleaning of the weigher hoppers and funnels; all seals replaced with FDA-compliant ones.
Transport and remount
Humidity-controlled closed truck Italy → Bulgaria; precise levelling of the multihead weigher on the new site.
Utilities and integrations
Oil-free compressed air and N₂ plumbed in; metal-detector interface wired; HMI localised to Bulgarian with recipe management.
Validation (IQ / OQ / PQ)
IQ against drawings; OQ on functions (sealing temperature, date/batch printer); PQ on real product with measured OEE.
Handover with technical dossier
Documentation package ready for БАБХ; per-batch traceability enabled; production gets the green light.
±1 g
Typical dosing precision
−80%
Typical manual-labour reduction
IQ/OQ/PQ
Regulated validation completed
HACCP
Per-batch traceability enabled
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