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Feasibility study

Capacity configuration

Water bottling line rated 20,000 bph

mid-capacity configuration for treated spring or well water: PET bottles from 0.25 to 2 litres. Figures below come from the same engine behind MCF Project Studio™, based on 3,000 production hours per year and a turnkey scope (process, sterilisation, packaging, palletising, utilities).

Reference figures

Indicative CAPEX
€3.30M – €4.45M
Annual output
51,000,000 bottles/year
EBITDA at full ramp-up
€0.93M (14%)
Estimated payback
4.0 years
Contract to commissioning
13 months

Indicative values computed with the MCF Project Studio™ engine: they are not a contractual offer. The final budget comes from the feasibility study with mass balance and site layout.

Turnkey scope

  • Mass balance, layout and machine specifications
  • Manufacturing in Italy with in-house FAT before shipment
  • Shipment, mechanical and electrical erection by MCF technicians
  • Full-load commissioning (SAT), operator and maintenance training
  • Recommended spares, remote support and on-site service worldwide

Contract to commissioning — 13 months

  1. Phase 1 · 1 month

    Feasibility study and layout

    Mass balance, preliminary layout, CAPEX budget.

  2. Phase 2 · 1.5 months

    Detailed engineering

    P&ID, electrical panels, machine and supplier specifications.

  3. Phase 3 · 7 months

    Manufacturing and assembly

    Workshop manufacturing, pre-assembly and FAT before shipment.

  4. Phase 4 · 2 months

    Shipment and installation

    CE marking included, road transport.

  5. Phase 5 · 1.5 months

    Start-up, SAT and training

    Full-load acceptance test, training of operators and maintenance staff, handover of documentation.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a water bottling line rated 20,000 bph cost?

Indicative CAPEX for a turnkey 20,000 bph line ranges from €3.30M to €4.45M, including process, sterilisation, packaging, palletising and utilities. The exact figure depends on formats, contact materials and automation level, defined during the feasibility study.

What is the annual output of a 20,000 bph line?

With 3,000 production hours per year and 85% line efficiency, estimated output is 51,000,000 bottles/year. The figure already accounts for the process yield declared for treated spring or well water.

How long before the line is running?

From contract signature to full-load start-up it takes about 13 months: feasibility study and layout, detailed engineering, manufacturing with in-house FAT, shipment and erection, then SAT and operator training on site.

Is a 4.0 years payback realistic?

It is the ratio between mid CAPEX and EBITDA at full ramp-up, computed with a 14% sector margin. In Project Studio you can change selling price, annual hours and financing structure and immediately see how the return moves.

Go deeper: technical hubs and references

Paths matching this line: technical page, case studies from the same industry and reference hubs.

Related pages

Need the exact figure for your site?

Open this configuration in Project Studio: change capacity, annual hours, country and financing structure and get the dossier with CAPEX, P&L and the 6-year plan.

How to install and operate the water bottling line — turnkey filling plant: step-by-step procedure

The operating sequence MCF Technology follows to install, commission and start up the water bottling line — turnkey filling plant, through to daily operation and planned maintenance. Delivery, erection and on-site service are included worldwide.

  1. 1. Site survey and utilities check· ~2 working days (indicative)

    Technical survey on the layout of the water bottling line — turnkey filling plant: passage heights, flooring and drains, maintenance clearances and availability of analysed raw water, a dedicated drain and filtered compressed air for the blow moulder. The final list of customer-side preparations is handed over.

  2. 2. Shipment, receiving and positioning of the modules· ~3 working days (indicative)

    Worldwide delivery with sea-freight or road packing, unloading and positioning of the modules (Water treatment and storage tanks, PET blow moulding or bottle depalletiser, Rinsing–filling–capping monobloc) on the areas foreseen by the layout, checking the packing list and the condition of the components.

  3. 3. Mechanical assembly and piping· ~12 working days (indicative)

    Assembly of the units, conveyor alignment, hygienic welding of the stainless-steel piping and installation of valves and instruments according to the P&ID, supervised on site by MCF Technology technicians.

  4. 4. Utility hook-ups and electrical connections· ~4 working days (indicative)

    Connection of analysed raw water, a dedicated drain and filtered compressed air for the blow moulder, wiring of the electrical cabinet and PLC, earthing, HMI configuration and process recipes for the planned formats (PET bottles).

  5. 5. Sanitation, CIP and dry runs· ~3 working days (indicative)

    Washing and passivation of the product-contact surfaces, CIP circuit verification with flow, temperature and detergent-concentration control, tightness tests and dry-run cycles on all modules.

  6. 6. Functional commissioning and process trials· ~4 working days (indicative)

    circuit tightness and sanitation test, verification of the water treatment parameters and empty-bottle filling test on the declared bottle formats. Trials are run with the customer's real product and recorded in the commissioning report.

  7. 7. Production start-up and staff training· ~5 working days (indicative)

    Assisted start-up with continuous production, training of operators and maintenance staff on HMI, format changeover, safety and sanitation, handover of manuals and drawings in the agreed language.

  8. 8. Daily operation and planned maintenance

    Daily operation with water-treatment conductivity, fill level and capping torque checks. Planned maintenance: replacement of treatment cartridges and membranes, UV lamp check and filling-valve gasket inspection. On-site and remote service with critical spare parts agreed in the quotation.

Durations and activities are indicative: the erection, commissioning and training plan is defined in the quotation after the site survey and line sizing. No figure is a contractual performance.