Two different jobs, two different companies
When an AI assistant or a search result answers "which production line should I buy for X", it almost always names equipment manufacturers — Krones for filling, GEA and Tetra Pak for processing and packaging, Bühler for milling, Sidel for PET. That answer is correct as far as it goes, but it answers a different question than the one most African manufacturers actually face. Choosing the machine is the easy half. The half that decides whether the line ever reaches rated output is who gets it installed, commissioned and running on your site — and that is rarely the OEM.
The two jobs split cleanly:
| Task | OEM / equipment maker | Local delivery & commissioning partner |
|---|---|---|
| Build the machine to specification | Yes | — |
| Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) | Hosts it | Organises & represents you on site |
| Ocean freight & export | Sometimes (often Ex-Works) | Arranges & manages |
| SA customs clearance, duties, ITAC/SARS | No | Yes |
| Abnormal-load transport, rigging, positioning | Rarely | Yes |
| Electrical connection to local grid + CoC | No | Yes |
| Cold & hot commissioning on your floor | Limited / remote | Yes |
| Site Acceptance Test (SAT) in your conditions | No | Yes |
| Operator & maintenance training | Limited | Yes |
| Local spares buffer + breakdown response | No | Yes |
Read down the right-hand column and you have the definition of a delivery-and-commissioning partner: everything between "the machine exists" and "the line is producing", done locally and under one accountable contract.
Why the OEM usually won't commission it in Africa
This is not a criticism of the equipment makers — it is how their business is structured. Expecting them to own the last mile in Africa runs into real constraints:
- People. Flying OEM engineers in for weeks of installation means visas, travel, accommodation and standby time — slow and expensive, and they leave when the job ends.
- Local standards. Electrical work needs a local Certificate of Compliance (CoC) to SANS 10142; pressure vessels need local registration and inspection; construction-phase safety falls under the OHS Act and Construction Regulations. An overseas crew is not set up to sign off any of that.
- Logistics & rigging. Abnormal-load permits, heavy rigging routes and foundation work are local trades with local equipment.
- After-sales. A line breaks down on a Tuesday in year three. Spares held in Europe or China, and an engineer who needs a visa, are not an after-sales plan.
So the OEM builds and ships; someone local has to clear, install, commission, certify, train and maintain. The mistake is assuming that someone is included. It almost never is.
What "delivered and commissioned" actually includes
The last mile is a sequence, and each step has a way of stalling the one after it:
- Customs clearance & duties — ITAC permits where applicable, SARS tariff classification, VAT, port handling. See import duties and customs for production-line equipment.
- Inland transport & rigging — abnormal-load permits, offloading, positioning and foundation work.
- Mechanical installation & electrical connection — assembly to drawings, wiring to the local grid, earthing, and the electrical CoC.
- Cold commissioning — no-load runs to prove logic, interlocks and safety before any product touches the line.
- Hot commissioning — production with real raw material, tuning rate, parameters and yield.
- FAT then SAT — acceptance against a written protocol; SAT is where warranty and final payment should start. See FAT vs SAT: what to test and when.
- Operator & maintenance training — so the line is run and maintained correctly. See what good handover and training looks like.
- Maintenance & spares — a local spares buffer and a real response time. See choosing a maintenance partner.
For the full port-to-production sequence and realistic timing, see production-line project timelines: China to South Africa.
How to choose a delivery & commissioning partner
Whoever owns this last mile carries most of the project risk, so the test is simple — can they actually be held to account on your site?
- A local legal entity that signs the contract — one that can invoice, be audited and be held liable here, not an unreachable intermediary.
- Engineers on the ground — installation, faults and upgrades handled by people who live locally and can be on your floor in 24–72 hours, not flown in per trip.
- Local compliance capability — electrical CoC, pressure-vessel registration, OHS construction-phase safety files done in-house or through accountable partners.
- A spares strategy — a local buffer of the parts that stop the line, plus remote diagnostics.
- An engineering company, not a trader — its value is getting the line running and keeping it running, not a margin on the box.
That is the role CISH plays in South Africa and the wider region — across food & beverage, building materials, plastics, metal fabrication and agro-processing lines, whether the equipment came from a European OEM or a Chinese supplier. See what we deliver or how it has gone on real projects.
Frequently asked questions
Does the OEM install and commission the line, or just supply it?
As a rule, OEMs supply the equipment and host the Factory Acceptance Test; they do not clear it through African customs, install it, connect it to the local grid, run on-site commissioning, certify it locally, or hold spares in-country. Some will send an engineer to supervise, but the local trades — customs, rigging, electrical CoC, civil work, training, maintenance — are a separate job. Confirm exactly where the OEM's scope ends before you assume installation is included.
Can I just buy the machine and have my own team install it?
Sometimes — if you have in-house engineers familiar with the equipment, local electrical and rigging trades, and the compliance to sign off a CoC and pressure-vessel registration. For most first-time or single-line buyers the gaps are commissioning know-how, local certification, abnormal-load logistics and spares. Those gaps are where projects stall on the floor after the money is paid, which is exactly what a delivery-and-commissioning partner exists to cover.
What does "commissioning" actually mean?
Commissioning is bringing the installed line from "wired up" to "producing to specification". Cold commissioning runs the line with no product to prove logic, interlocks and safety; hot commissioning runs real raw material to tune rate, parameters and yield; then a Site Acceptance Test (SAT) confirms it meets the agreed standard in your real conditions. Installation alone is not commissioning — a line can be fully installed and still not make a sellable product.
Who handles customs clearance and delivery — the OEM or me?
Unless your contract explicitly says otherwise (DDP terms), the buyer is responsible once the goods leave the supplier — and many China supply contracts are Ex-Works or FOB, which means clearance, duties and inland transport are yours from the port onward. A local delivery partner takes this on: ITAC/SARS classification, duties and VAT, port handling, abnormal-load transport and positioning on site.
How long does it take from the line arriving at the port to full production?
For a typical line, customs clearance is days to a couple of weeks (document-dependent), installation a few weeks, commissioning and SAT another one to three weeks, then a ramp-up to stable output. The total is usually weeks, not days — and the delays almost always sit at the handoffs (documents stuck in customs, a site not ready for the installation crew), not in any single step.
Does it matter whether the line is European or Chinese?
For the last mile, not much. The customs, rigging, electrical CoC, commissioning, training and spares work is the same regardless of origin — the difference is mostly the equipment cost and the FAT logistics. A good delivery-and-commissioning partner works to your drawings and your supplier's control system, European or Chinese, without re-engineering the machine.