IE 2102L: Industrial Materials and Processes Laboratory

Sat 1:30-4:00 P.M. LB500BTC

Water Industries: Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc. (PSWRI)

Submitted by:

Unabia, Frances Marie

Vega, Alexane Avrielle

Villasin, Aaliyah Gyll

Zafra, April Catherine

Submitted to:

James Anthony Toledo, MM, MBA

IE 2102L Adviser

Date of Submission:

October 31, 2020

Acknowledgment

To the people who directly and indirectly contributed to the completion of this study, the
researchers would like to express their sincere gratitude. In many ways, this study
reflects our own progress as researchers and in making this study a reality, it wouldn’t
have occurred without the help of many.

To Mr. James Toledo, our teacher for this course, for guiding us in making this academic
paper.

To Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc., for providing a well-curated Web page with a
wide set of information open to the public.

Lastly, to our Creator and source of all strength, the Lord Almighty God who bestowed the
gifts of talent and wisdom to make this research possible, we praise You Father for
helping us get through all the problems that we encountered as we did this research
and for guiding us through.
Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Company Profile

a)​ B
​ ackground/History

b)​ D
​ escription of Company Location

c)​ B
​ usiness/Services Offered to the Market

d)​ M
​ arket Description

e) Product Manufactured/ Services Offered

III. Industrial Process Description

a)​ G
​ eneral Production Process

b)​ I​ ndustrial Process

IV. Analysis of the Study

V. Recommendation

VI. Conclusion

VII. References

VIII. Attachments
I. Introduction

Safe drinking water is a human birthright – as much a birthright as clean air.

However, much of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water.
Together, these shortcomings spawn waterborne diseases that kill on average more
than 6 million children each year (UNICEF Canada, 2013). Since the quality of surface
water deteriorates quickly with population growth, the global dependence on
groundwater sources has increased. This is true both for rural areas and the rapidly
growing urban settlements. Using groundwater as a freshwater resource has many
advantages over surface water: it’s virtually free from infectious microbes. However,
groundwater quality for human consumption varies with its origins, and often requires
careful monitoring.

Drinking water is the provision a human being needs daily. This basic fact makes
access to safe drinking water a prerequisite for human survival and it is included among
the Millennium goals set up by the UN to reduce poverty in the world. Many developing
countries’ available surface waters are polluted, and municipal water services are
unreliable. People living in these countries must often resort to alternative service
providers, or store water temporarily accessed through their services in less sanitary
tanks. There is also an increase in sales of bottled water, in these and in developed
countries alike. Bottled water is however often subject to less strict regulations than
those for tap water.

In the Philippines, setting standards for drinking water establishes threshold limits
for different impurities found in drinking water. These limits are intended to minimize
risk and therefore prevent deleterious health repercussions that result from lifelong
exposure to these impurities through consumption of water. The Department of Health
is mandated to formulate standards to this effect. Chapter II (Water Supply), Section 9
of the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines states that "Standards for drinking water
 and their microbiological and chemical examinations, together with the evaluation of
results, shall conform to the criteria set by the National Drinking Water Standards."
Now, a manufacturing water company has since addressed the increased product
volume requirements of safe drinking water, the Philippine Spring Water Resources Inc.

II. Company Profile

2.1 Background/History

Philippine Spring Water Resources Inc., is a manufacturer and distributor of

Nature’s Spring bottled drinking water products in the Philippines. The production
started in 1991 after Typhoon Ruping hit Cebu in November of 1990 when that caused a
growing demand for safe and affordable drinking water in the market. The founder,
CEO Danilo Lua, felt the need to have a stable source of drinking water not just for
Cebu, but the whole country as well. Additionally, the high mineral content in the local
water source caused Mr. Lua to have kidney stones. He and his team flew to the United
States to conduct comprehensive research and hands-on training about the industry,
the product, and the technical aspects of production and manufacturing. They went
back home and commissioned an extensive market research, and product
conceptualization and development. The first plant and production facility, which is
now the main plant and office facilities, was then built with the aid of foreign expert
consultants. Now, Nature’s Spring holds around 50 percent of the country’s bottled
water market.

2.2 Description of company location

The main plant of Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc is located at AC Cortes
Avenue, Cambaro, Mandaue City, Cebu close to the University of Cebu
LapuLapu-Mandaue and a few meters away from the Sergio Osmena Bridge, aka. the
old bridge. In the northern part of the Philippines, PSWRI has two production facilities
located at Guiguinto, Bulacan and at Calamba, Laguna. In the southern region of the
country, PSWRI has a production facility at Cagayan de Oro.
2.3 Business/service offered to the market

Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of

Nature’s Spring bottled drinking water and other drink beverages in both the national
and international market. Nature’s Spring has an accessible website where consumers
can place their orders. The company also offers free delivery in key locations around the
country for a certain amount of order. For NCR and Cebu, they accept Cash-on-Delivery
mode of payment. Aside from that, the company also advocates for the environment
and health & safety through their Water Up! Campaign and Go Green Advocacy!.

2.4 Market Description

Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc. (PSWRI), a 100% Filipino owned and
managed company, is the manufacturer and distributor of Nature’s Spring bottled
drinking water products nationwide. Over the years, the company has expanded its
business offerings and further entered into diversifying its product lines through
continuous innovation, state-of-the-art facilities, and competent employees.

2.5 Product Manufactured/ Service Offered

PSWRI is the Philippines' overall market leader in the bottled water industry. Thus produce
the following products:

● Nature's Spring Purified Drinking Water- is a quality yet affordable brand for daily
​

consumption of clean, and safe bottled water.

● Nature's Spring Purified Distilled Drinking Water- is the mothers' go-to water brand and
recommended by Paediatricians due to its quality, purity, safety, and affordability.
● Nature's Spring pH9 Drinking Water- comes with the highest pH level (Alkaline) that
helps neutralize acid build-up in the body.
● Nature's Spring Flavoured Water- ​is a water-based drink with 100% fruit concentrate,
​

no sugar added, and no added preservatives. It is also packed with B Vitamins such as
B1, B3, B6, and B12. Flavor with Apple, Grapes, Calamansi, and Honeydew.
● Nature’s Spring Fiber Water- is infused with soluble dietary fiber that helps with your
digestion and made a healthy lifestyle hassle-free and even more convenient - water +
fiber in a bottle.
● Nature’s Spring Ice Tea- is a ready-to-drink (RTD) product made from 100% real green
tea extract that contains antioxidants. It has no sugar added, no added preservatives,
and free from artificial coloring.
● Nature's Spring Flavoured Sparkling Water- is a healthier alternative to sugar soda due
to its zero-calorie content. It comes with 3 different sparkly twist flavors, namely: Lime,
Apple, and Pineapple that has no sugar added, with 100% fruit concentrate, and no
added preservatives.
● Nature’s Spring Soda Water- is also a variety of water infused with carbon dioxide gas,
where carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved under pressure and is a healthier
alternative to sugar due to its zero-calorie content.

Nature’s Spring is also the only bottled drinking water product that is Halal-approved in
the Mindanao region.
III. Industrial Process Description

3.1 General Production Process

● Sterilization ​describes a process that destroys or eliminates all forms of microbial. In

this process an ​inflated test-tube like plastic called ​parison (​ also known as a ​preform)​ is
sterilized.

● Blow Molding is used in the manufacturing industry to create hollow objects made of
plastics. This is the process which transforms pre-forms into the final PET (polyethylene
terephthalate) bottles. A completed mold is placed in the blow molding machine. The
parison w​ hich is a tube of plastic with one hole that allows air to funnel through, is
heated until it becomes soft and is placed between the halves of the mold. ​Compressed
air is blown into the parison ​until it forms the shape of the mold. Once the plastic
bottles have cooled, they are removed from the mold and will be ready for
transportation or filling.

● Internal PSWRI laboratory tests, and external regular monitoring and inspection by the
Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).

3.2 Industrial Processes

1. ​Careful Collection​- The Philippines’ main sources of water are rivers, lakes, river
basins, and groundwater reservoirs. These sources of water will contain different toxins
and hazards that need to be removed.

2. ​Filtration - Is the process that is used to filter out or remove particles and pollutants
that comes from natural groundwater.

3. ​Ion exchange ​- The process starts with the removal of hardness in water usually Ca
(Calcium) and Mg (Magnesium) compounds.

4. ​Carbon Filtration​-Activated carbon filter is used to remove chlorine, organic

 compounds, and their associated odors and taste. Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) is
the type of activated carbon that is often used in water treatments.

5.​Reverse Osmosis​- used to remove a large majority of contaminants from water by

pushing the water under pressure through a semipermeable membrane. The water
flows from the more concentrated side (more contaminants) of the reverse osmosis
membrane to the less concentrated side (fewer contaminants) to provide clean drinking
water. The fresh water produced is called the permeate while the concentrated water
that is left over is called the ​waste or brine​.

6. ​Microfiltration​- It has a special spore sized membrane that separates

microorganisms and suspended particles from the processed water. It is used to remove
contaminated bacteria and finer particles more than 0.03 microns in size.

7. ​Ozonation​- Water is sterilized using Ozone Gas. A form of oxygen that is a powerful
oxidizer and can get rid of all microorganisms found in water.

After the intensive process, the water is then packed in PSWRI manufacture bottles using
state-of-the-art highly automated lines.
IV. Analysis of the Study

Under the Sustainable Development Goal 6, “Clean Water and Sanitation”seeks

that safe and readily available water is one of the most important sources of energy,
used for drinking, domestic use, food production, recreational purposes, and most
especially for survival. Improved water supply and sanitation, and better management
of water resources, can boost countries’ economic growth and could contribute greatly
to poverty reduction. Philippines Spring Water Resource, Inc. (PSWRI) a manufacturer
and overall market leader in the bottled water industry brings safe and affordable
drinking water.

Nature Spring being the overall market leader brings the greater personal
safety, less expenditure on health , and better productivity of the economy.
V. Recommendation

According to the latest National Demographic and Health Survey released by the
Philippine Statistics Authority, the most common source of drinking water for
households in the Philippines in 2017 were bottled water and water from a refilling
station. More than 1.5 million tons of plastic are used to process bottled water alone.
The processes used to make plastics can cause serious pollution affecting both the
environment and human health if left unregulated. Not to mention, repeated reuse of
plastic bottles—which get dinged up through normal wear and tear while being
washed—increases the chance that chemicals will leak out of the tiny cracks and
crevices that develop in the containers over time. Philippine Spring Water Resources
should make an effort to innovate design and create new packaging solutions.

This kind of single-use plastic packaging has no alternative to make it as eco-friendly

as well as other brands at the moment. Although these plastic products are recyclable,
people can’t dispose of them properly. Nature’s Spring may provide a receptacle bin on
each location of where they have their business on the main street or where they even
have a storage of their products. In the presence of receptacle bins, less plastic bottles
are thrown in the drainage system during rainy days.
VI. Conclusion

There is an expanding middle class and rising demand for clean and healthy
beverages, thus there is an increasing preference for packaged bottled water.
Philippine Spring Water Resources remained the leader in bottled water in both
off-trade value and volume terms. Its volume share increased, due to the company’s
efforts to increase its product availability in modern and traditional retail channels.

By any standard, bottled water is hugely expensive to consumers compared to

water refilling stations. Bottled water may provide a temporary and vital source of safe
drinking water. The key word, however, is “temporary”—bottled water should not be
considered a permanent alternative to reliable drinking water for many reasons,
including cost, control, and equity. Failure to provide water supply often affects the
poorest populations of peri-urban areas, leaving them to pay the inflated prices for
water provided by private vendors or bottled water purveyors. The cost of labor,
bottling, plastic bottles, transportation, and marketing greatly increases the overall
costs in the price of a single Nature’s Spring bottle. PSWRI provided highly diversified
products for highly subjective preferences for taste and flavor in water that in turn
helped drive the market for bottled water. Nature’s Spring has different flavors and
tastes depending on its origin, type and duration of storage, treatment, and method of
delivery. Other than concerns about water quality, the most common reason offered to
explain the growing use of bottled water is dissatisfaction with the taste of locally
available tap water.
VII. References

Asia Pacific Food Industry. (2018, December 21). Aseptic Filling-A Safer And Greener
Solution. Retrieved October 30, 2020, from
https://apfoodonline.com/industry/aseptic-filling-a-safer-and-greener-solution/

Fr. Mar Alingasa, S. (2019, April 25). Bottled Water: A Sustainable Alternative? Retrieved
October 30, 2020, from
https://www.philstar.com/cebu-lifestyle/2010/03/06/555104/bottled-water-sustainable-
alternative

CBTECH. (2018, October 19). The Science Behind Activated Carbon Water Filters.
Retrieved October 30,2020 from
https://www.carbonblocktech.com/the-science-behind-activated-carbon-water-filters/

Dagooc, E. (2010). ​Bottled water firm completes shift to automated operations. ​ P

​ hilstar.
Retrieved from
https://www.philstar.com/cebu-business/2010/06/28/587997/bottled-water-firm-compl
etes-shift-automated-operations

Drinking-water. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2020, from

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water

Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc. (2020). Our Story. Retrieved from
https://naturespring.com.ph/about-us

Woodward, J. (2020, MArch 24). What is a Reverse Osmosis System and How Does it
Work? Retrieved October 29,2020 from
​https://www.freshwatersystems.com/blogs/blog/what-is-reverse-osmosis
VIII. Attachments

Nature’s Spring Facility in Visayas

Nature’s Spring Facility in Luzon

Krones ErgoBloc L inside the PSWRI Bulacan Facility