Feed mill project timeline: civil works, installation, automation and commissioning

Typical duration: 6–12 weeks · Starts the critical path — nothing else can be released before it

• —Process flow diagram, mass balance and capacity confirmation per product
• —Layout, silo arrangement, equipment list and motor list
• —Civil loads, foundation drawings and building interfaces
• —Electrical single line, control philosophy and instrument list

Schedule risk: Late nutritionist or product-range changes force re-engineering and push every later phase.

Typical duration: 12–24 weeks · Runs in parallel with equipment manufacturing

• —Site preparation, piling where ground conditions require it
• —Foundations for tower, silos, boiler house and load-out
• —Building structure, cladding, floors and drainage
• —Power supply, transformer pad, water, steam and effluent connections

Schedule risk: Civil works is usually the phase most exposed to weather, permits and local contractor capacity. It is the second most common cause of a late handover after late engineering.

Typical duration: 14–26 weeks · In parallel with civil works

• —Main process machines: grinder, mixer, conditioner, pellet mill or extruder, cooler
• —Silos, conveyors, elevators, aspiration and dust filters
• —Electrical panels, MCC and automation hardware
• —Factory acceptance tests where agreed in the contract

Schedule risk: Long-lead items (extruder, boiler, main motors, MCC) set the date. Confirm lead times per item in the quotation, not as one average.

Typical duration: 4–10 weeks · After manufacturing, before installation

• —Packing list, container or breakbulk planning and Incoterm responsibilities
• —Customs clearance, duty and import permits
• —Inland transport, crane availability and lay-down area

Schedule risk: Duty classification and clearance delays sit outside the supplier's scope in most contracts — check who carries that risk before signature.

Typical duration: 8–16 weeks · Starts when civils are released and the first shipment lands

• —Steel structure, silos and tower erection
• —Machine setting, alignment, conveyors and ducting
• —Cabling, panels, field instruments and earthing
• —Steam, compressed air and fire and explosion safety systems

Schedule risk: Installation cannot start on a partially released building. A civil handover certificate per area keeps the erection crew productive.

Typical duration: 4–8 weeks, overlapping installation · Software in parallel, loop checks after cabling

• —PLC and SCADA configuration, recipe and batching software
• —Weighing calibration and dosing tolerance verification
• —Traceability, batch records and ERP interface
• —Loop checks, interlocks and safety logic testing

Schedule risk: Recipe and traceability requirements are often specified late. Agree the data model and who owns the source code and licences in the contract.

Typical duration: 3–6 weeks · Sequential — the last phase before acceptance

• —Dry run, water run and first production on each product
• —Capacity test at the contract tonnes per hour per product
• —Pellet durability, water stability or mixing CV test by the agreed method
• —Energy consumption per tonne recorded at guaranteed capacity

Schedule risk: A performance test without a named product, named method and named acceptance figure is not enforceable. Define it before the order, not at start-up.

Typical duration: 2–4 weeks · Overlaps commissioning

• —Operator, maintenance and laboratory training
• —As-built drawings, manuals, spare parts list and lubrication plan
• —Punch list closure and provisional acceptance certificate
• —Warranty start date, response times and spare parts availability

Schedule risk: The warranty start date is a commercial term: tie it to provisional acceptance, not to shipment.