For accomplishment of Operation Management assignment, my group-mates and I had applied a field visit with Yakult and had our factory tour last Monday on 22 February 2010. PR was so friendly and efficient that they responded to our request on the very own day we sent the application. Yakult's factory is located in Seremban and it is equipped with high technology machinery which conform to the standard of Yakult Japanese main factory. It's totally different from what I was expecting just to be frank, it's much more advanced than what I thought.
The main entrance and guard house
The factory compound is so clean and quiet
The main building, simple and nice
Yakult signboard, simple but yet outstanding
The factory compound is so clean and quiet that we would not know it's producing Yakult if signboard is not displayed. Parking lot is large and so many parking slots are available that we thought it was an off-day or non-production-day. A good-looking young woman who was our guide of the tour welcomed us at reception counter with her sweet smiley face. However, we were not able to begin the factory tour yet, because another group of visitors from UKM was late. I guess we had demonstrated high punctuality and professionalism by reaching there 10 minutes earlier and dressing up formally. Did not lose UTAR face LOL.
Our guide has explained and showed us Yakult products in different geographical regions
I guess many of you have eaten this before, but never knew it's from Yakult
unexpected product - instant-cooked noodle
Yakult has its own cosmetic and skin care product line as well, which really surprised me
Yakult has different kinds of product including cultured milk drinks, yogurt, fruit juice, green tea, and many more drinks. It also produces instant-cooked noodle as well as cosmetic and skin care products and of cos, pharmaceutical products.
However, only 2 products are currently selling in Malaysian market which are Yakult Ace and Yakult Ace Light. These 2 cultured milk drinks are currently the best because it contain at least 30 billions Lactobacillus casei Shirota which commonly known as Shirota strain in a single bottle.
Lactobacillus casei Shirota is scientifically proven to be the strongest strain among all types of probiotic normally contained in other brands of cultured milk drink. Yakult has the most and the strongest probiotic in a bottle, so why choose Vitagen? Besides, Yakult is totally free of preservative and stabilizer as well as artificial coloring, which explain the reason why Yakult has only one flavor.
My group was sitting in the meeting room
We were not allowed to enter production plant directly for hygiene purpose. However, we were led to a corridor which allows us to view the whole process of producing Yakult.
Let me give you examples of how particular is Yakult in maintaining its quality and hygiene:
Employees' hygiene
- Production workers are provided with white uniforms, latex gloves and beret hygiene caps.
- Production workers must take shower before entering production floor, each time.
- Uniform is not allowed to wear from home to workplace, must be after shower in factory.
- Laundry service is provided, to avoid any possible dust and bacteria from outside.
- Medical checkup and vaccine injection every year.
Building cleanliness
- Four air filters are installed in every equally large section.
- Walls are specially designed to not to accumulate dust.
- Compartment with air blower between doors to enter production floor, to blow away dust.
- Air pressure in production floor is higher than outside, to eliminate the possibility of dust flies in when door is opened.
Machine
- Containers are washed daily after production.
- Cleaning process is done twice, once manually by men and once automatically with water.
- Automated cleaning process involves inflow of cold and 80°C hot water to sterilize the containers.
- Conveyor bell is covered to avoid dust falls into bottles
- Bottles are made in factory and sent to filling room with air conveyor.
There are still so much to tell about Yakult but I guess you will choose Yakult already if you read until here.
UTAR and UKM
UTAR
At the end of the tour, we have another Q&A session with the guide and a photo shooting session. Then we were off to Seremban Siew Bao and headed back to Kampar.
