End-of-line automation is a capital-equipment project, not a catalogue purchase, so the timeline is set by scope rather than by a standard lead time. A single standalone machine into an existing line is a materially shorter project than a fully integrated multi-station line with custom product handling.

Every project runs through the same defined stages: requirement discovery and line assessment, concept and layout, technical proposal, engineering and design, manufacturing, assembly, testing and factory acceptance, customer approval, dispatch, installation and commissioning, then training and handover. The two stages that most often move a schedule are design freeze — how quickly layout and specification are approved at your end — and the site window available for installation, since commissioning usually has to fit a planned shutdown rather than a chosen date.

We commit to an indicative schedule at proposal stage once scope is defined, and we would rather give you a date we can hold than a short quote we cannot. Share your product, speed and layout details and we will issue a stage-wise timeline with your technical proposal.

Yes — retrofits and line upgrades are a core part of what we do. Most plants do not automate an entire end-of-line at once; they automate the station that is currently constraining output, then extend. A MAS SYSTECH machine can be introduced into a partially automated or largely manual line without replacing what already works.

In a retrofit, your existing line is the fixed reference point. We study the current layout, available floor space, conveyor heights, product pitch and orientation, and the control signals available from adjacent equipment — then engineer the new machine and its transfer sections to meet those conditions. The machine is interlocked with your upstream and downstream stations so a stop anywhere holds its neighbours, and its speed is specified against your actual line throughput. This works whether the surrounding equipment is MAS SYSTECH supplied or from another manufacturer.

Two things we will be straight about. If existing conveying or product presentation is the real bottleneck, we will say so rather than install a fast machine behind a limiting infeed. And installation is normally planned around a shutdown window, so commissioning is scheduled to your production calendar. Share your existing line layout and we can confirm feasibility before any proposal.

A preliminary layout needs less than most people expect. The essentials get us to a first drawing; the rest sharpens it from indicative to proposal-ready.

Essential for a first layout

• Product and container details — shape, size, weight, material
• Current line speed and your target speed
• Pack pattern and case dimensions
• Available floor space, or a sketch with rough dimensions
• Whether this is a new line or an addition to an existing one

Makes the layout proposal-ready

• Existing line layout drawing, if available
• Conveyor heights, belt widths and flow direction
• Upstream and downstream equipment the line must connect to
• Full SKU list, if you run multiple pack formats
• Photos or a short video of the current packing operation
• Shift pattern and current operator count at the station
• Utility and plant safety constraints to design around

If you only have the essentials, send those — our engineering team will come back with the specific questions that matter for your line rather than a generic form. A short video of the current operation is often worth more than a drawing.

Installation is treated as a planned stage of the project, not a handover at the gate. By the time a machine reaches your site it has already been assembled, tested and run through factory acceptance testing at our Pune facility with your approval on record — so site work is installation and integration, not first-time assembly or debugging.

On site, our engineers handle positioning and alignment, connection to your upstream and downstream equipment, utility and electrical hook-up, control interlocking with adjacent stations, safety checks, and then trial runs with your actual product to verify handling and speed under real line conditions. Adjustments are made against your product, not a test sample.

Commissioning is scheduled around your production calendar — normally a planned shutdown window rather than a date we pick — and the sequence is agreed in advance so your team knows what happens on which day. Operator and maintenance training is delivered as part of commissioning, so changeover and routine maintenance are owned by your shopfloor team before we leave, rather than depending on a service call.

For export projects the same process applies, with remote inspection and structured technical documentation supporting installation at the customer end.