MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY

DCS5018
COMPUTER SYSTEMS & APPLICATIONS

Trimester 1, Session 2012 / 2013

Group Activity 1
Yakult Factory Visitation
3 August 2012

No. Student ID Student Name GROUP
1.
2.
3.
4.



History of Yakult
Yakult was first found in 1930 when Dr. Minoru Shirota was conducting a research in a
microbiology lab at the Medical Faculty of Kyoto University, Japan. The bacterium was named
Laxtobacillus casei Shirota strain after his own name. it hit the market in 1935 after 5 years of
further research and testing of the bacterium. The first bottles were not in a standardized shape.
The next year, 1936, Yakult had standardized their bottles. Yakult hit Malaysian market in 2004
which is about 74 years after the bacterium was first found. Yakult factory is Malaysia is located
at No. 276, Jalan Haruan 1, Oakland Industrial Park, 70300 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan Darul
Khusus.

How Computer is Applied in Yakult Manufacturing
Machines are used along the production line of Yakult. The factory only has 40 workers working
around whereas every other jobs in the factory was carried out by computers. Yakult utilizes real
time operating system to control their machines. There are multiple machines working around
the clock which includes bottle making machine (press moulding), bottle branding machine,
bottle capping machine and straw attaching machine. Computer is also used in management of
Yakult.

Flow of System
Mixing of raw ingredients materials used for making Yakult cultured drinks are mixed
at this process.
Sterilization the milk is sterilized by heating to 121 degree Celcius.
Culture tank the temperature of the tank is reduced to 37 degree Celcius and the
solution is allowed to ferment for about one week until the number Lactobacillus casei
bacteria reaches an ideal concentration.


Mixing and Storage Tank the tank is chilled to around 2 degree Celcius and the flavours
are added.
Injection Blow Moulding Machine the plastic bottles are produced on site and it made
from polystyrene.
Bottling and Packaging bottles are given labels, filled with Yakult cultured drinks,
capped with a foil lid and transferred for packaging.
Refrigeration room finished products are keep in a large refrigerator.
Yakult Quality Assurance samples are collected and tested to ensure customer
satisfaction.
Waste management waste products are cleaned and disposed of properly.

IT Careers Available in Yakult
Technology support staff and machine support staff. Yakult does not offer plenty of IT careers in
their factory.

Experience Gained from This Trip
We managed to learn new facts about Yakult - probiotics, manufacturing and history. We learned
how to use the Yakult straw properly which was demonstrated by our tour guide during the
visitation. We also uncover some answers to certain questions such as why Yakult have different
bottle shape, why Yakult use different straw type and why Yakult Ace Light has higher price
than Yakult Ace. We would definitely recommend this trip to others who had not gotten the
chance to join the visitation because the visitation had provided us with plentiful knowledge and
facts we had never known before.





Conclusion
The working environments in Yakult are far beyond comfortable. Working in Yakult would not
be a pressure to any of the workers in the factory itself. Based on our observation during the
visitation, we could conclude that Yakult is a great place to work in. we enjoyed the trip and
would be pleased to join any other programs like this.