Manufacturing
Selling machinery: the documentation that goes with it
What you hand over with the machine stays with you for its whole working life.
When you hand over a machine you also hand over a documentary package that outlives the sale: the customer will need it at every inspection, every change of operator and every resale. And when they cannot find it, they will call you — five, eight or twelve years later.
What goes with the machine
| Document | What the customer uses it for | When they will ask you |
|---|---|---|
| Declaration of conformity | Justifying they may use it | At their first inspection |
| Instruction manual | Training whoever operates it | Every time the operator changes |
| Maintenance documentation | Complying with inspections | Every year |
| Critical component certificates | Facing an incident | At the worst moment |
Important
Handing it over with a signed receipt is what prevents the problem five years out. Without one, the conversation is "I never received that" and there is no way to close it — with one you resend and it is over.
What is worth keeping on your side
The first row is the most neglected. If the manual changes between units and there is no record of which one each carried, answering an aftersales query becomes guesswork.
Watch out
If you modify a machine already delivered, the earlier documentation may have stopped describing what is installed. That is where a resale or an incident exposes a discrepancy nobody knew existed.
Worth knowing
Handing over documentation digitally with a signed receipt also solves the resale case: the second buyer asks for it, and you can say exactly what was delivered and to whom.
›Can I deliver it digitally only?
It depends what your product's regulation requires; check.
›What if the customer loses the manual?
With the delivery record you know which version they had and resend it.
›How long do I keep this documentation?
Machine working lives tend to be long; confirm with your adviser.
A real case
The situation
A manufacturer gets a query about a machine sold nine years ago and does not know which manual it carried.
What you do
- Links manual and certificates to the serial number on each delivery
- Hands over with a signed receipt
What you get
Aftersales queries are answered in minutes, even for resold machines.
The situation
The machine is delivered and the documentation follows later.
What you do
- Delivers the file with the machine
What you get
The customer receives what covers it.
The situation
The customer asks for the manual years later.
What you do
- Keeps the file by serial number
What you get
It is provided without reconstructing.
The situation
Each machine carries a different configuration.
What you do
- Stores which configuration went out on each
What you get
You answer per unit.
The situation
A component is replaced and the documentation stays the same.
What you do
- Updates the file with every change
What you get
The paper describes what was delivered.
The situation
A customer complains and nobody knows which version they had.
What you do
- Checks that unit's file
What you get
The complaint is resolved with data.
This article answers
- documentation delivered with a machine
- manual and declaration of conformity handover
- what papers accompany industrial equipment
- machinery aftersales documentation