A genset technical file is the pack a customs broker and a site engineer both read, and one missing sheet stops a shipment. Compare the declaration, the test report and the drawing set against the destination before you accept an offer. Tesla Power assembles the pack; send the destination to the technical desk and we confirm it.
- Ask for the document list before the price, because the list is the deliverable.
- Check that the test report carries the set serial number.
- Look at the drawing revision letters, since an as-built set needs as-built sheets.
- Ask which language the second copy is in and who translates it.
What goes into a genset technical file?
It carries the declaration of conformity, the test report, the drawing set, the wiring diagram, the component certificates and the maintenance schedule. Six sections, and the order matters because a broker reads the first two and an engineer reads the rest. A file assembled in the wrong order is a file that gets queried, and the query costs a week, because the answer has to come from the factory rather than from the broker.
The declaration is the sheet that names the standards the set was built to and the entity that takes responsibility. A declaration without a standard is a letter, and a broker will ask for the standard by name. Tesla Power issues the declaration on the manufacturer letterhead with the standards listed by number rather than by title alone, since a title can be translated and a number cannot.
Which documents does a customs broker need?
A broker needs the commercial invoice, the packing list, the declaration and the certificate of origin, and on some routes a test report issued within 24 h of the test. The technical file supplies the declaration and the test report, so the two packs overlap rather than duplicate, and the broker decides which of the two is attached to the entry. Ask the broker which of the two they want attached.
A 1,000kVA set at 0.8 pf is a 800kW machine: 1,000kVA x 0.8 = 800kW, and the file has to name both figures, because the invoice may quote one and the site the other. A mismatch between the invoice and the file is the most common reason a set sits at a port, and the storage charge runs from the day it lands. Tesla Power Equipment prints both figures on the declaration.
| Item | Typical figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Declaration | Signed original | On the manufacturer letterhead |
| Test report | One per rating | With the set serial number |
| Drawing set | As built, with revisions | Revision letter on every sheet |
| Language | English plus one | The buyer names the second |
Who signs the declaration?
The declaration is signed by the legal entity that builds the set, and not by the trading company that sells it. A declaration signed by a name that does not appear on the set plate is a declaration a customs officer will query. Ask for the entity name to match the plate before the file is printed, because a corrected declaration means a reprint and a re-signature.
The signatory also has to be reachable, because a query arrives months after the shipment and it goes to the address on the declaration. A file with a generic email and no name is a file that stalls for as long as the answer takes. Ask for a named contact and a telephone number on the last page. Tesla Power Equipment puts the contact on the declaration rather than in a covering letter.
How is the file kept current?
The file is current when the drawings carry the revision that was built, and a revision letter on every sheet is the only way to prove it. A drawing set with no revision letters is a set that cannot be checked against the set on the floor. Ask for the revision list as a separate sheet, and the sheet is the first thing an auditor asks for.
A component change also changes the file, and a supplier change is the one that gets missed. A file that names a controller the factory no longer fits is a file that will be queried at the first service visit. Keep the component list with dates. Tesla Power reissues the file when a major component changes and keeps the old revision on record for 5 years, and the buyer is told which revision he holds.
What does the file do for a service claim?
The file is the evidence in a service claim, because it shows what was built, what was tested and what the site was told to do. A claim without a test report is a conversation and a claim with one is a decision. Ask for the report to carry the serial number rather than the order number, because an order can carry more than one set, and a claim that names the order instead of the set is a claim that takes longer.
The maintenance schedule in the file is the part that decides a claim, because a set that was not serviced to the schedule is a set outside the warranty. A schedule with intervals in hours and no calendar figure is a schedule that a standby set does not meet. Put both in the file. Yangzhou Tesla Power writes the schedule with hours and months on the same line.
Which language does the file use?
English is the working language of most customs desks and it is not the language of the site, so the file is usually issued in two languages. A file in one language is a file that one of the two readers cannot use. Ask which second language before the pack is printed, because translation after printing is a reprint.
The technical sheets survive translation better than the marketing sheets, because a figure and a unit do not change. Keep the drawings in English and translate the schedule and the safety pages, because a drawing is read by a fitter and a schedule by a manager. Ask for the translated pages to carry the same revision as the English ones. A translated page with an old revision is worse than no translation, and a reprint takes about 10 days on a second language. Tesla Power keeps both versions in one master so a change reaches both.
What does the offer need to state?
The offer should give the document list, the language pair, the number of printed copies, the revision control and the delivery format. Five items on one line let a buyer check the pack against the broker before the order is placed, and the language pair is the line that gets agreed last. Ask for a PDF set as well as the printed copies, because a broker works from a screen and a site engineer works from a printed sheet.
The wording on the offer matters too. Chinese genset technical suppliers often quote a file as a binder with no document list, and a genset technical file manufacturers page can show a declaration the factory signs for another entity. Ask for genset technical file for a tender, genset technical file in a tender and genset in a tender as three separate cases, since the second of the three is where the two sides usually differ. Tesla Power prints the five items on the file cover.
What does the handover file record?
The record carries the document list, the revision of each sheet, the language pair, the signatory and the date of issue. One page covers the pack when those five items sit under the set serial number. Add the conformity assessment for the file when the destination asks for a technical file under its own regulation and the declaration is the entry document and the broker quotes its number.
Hand the page to the broker and to the site engineer, because the two read different sections of the same pack. the Yangzhou factory describes the office where the pack is assembled, the commissioning notes lists the frames with a standard file, the build range explains how the revision is controlled, the 1000kW container build shows the frame that matches the duty, the ISO 8528-1 duty definitions sets the standard the declaration names, and the NFPA 110 maintenance routine covers the directive behind the marking, and the file cover carries the same number as the declaration.
Frequently asked questions about genset technical files
It can be issued after shipment and the set will wait at the port until it arrives, which costs more than the file. Issue the pack with the shipping documents. A file sent by email after the container sails is a file that arrives after the demurrage starts.
Every set needs a report that carries its serial number, and a report for the rating is not the same document. A serialised report costs a few minutes on the test bed. Ask for the serial on the report before the set leaves.
The builder keeps the master and the buyer keeps a copy, and both need the same revision. A file held only by the buyer is a file that cannot be reissued when a page is lost. Ask for the master to be held for the retention period in the destination rule.
It is not, because a declaration is issued by the builder and a certificate is issued by a body. A declaration names the standards and the responsibility. Ask which of the two the destination accepts, since some routes take one and not the other.
A standard pack takes about 48 h once the test is done, and a pack in a second language takes longer. The item that sets the date is the translation rather than the printing. Ask for the date before the shipment is booked.
The revision letter and the serial number, in that order, and both are one line on a sheet. A file that is complete except for a revision is a file that gets queried at the border. Tesla Power checks the two before the pack is sealed.