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HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY
OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
COMPANY TRIP REPORT
Major: Management
YAKULT
Student’s name: Nguyễn Bảo Trâm ID Number: 22DH
Student’s name: Trương Ngọc Thạch ID Number: 22DH
Student’s name: Nguyễn Minh Nhựt ID Number: 22DH
Student’s name: Phạm Ngọc Minh Nguyệt ID Number: 22DH
Instructor: Mrs. Phan Thi Cong Minh
Class: MK
Course: 2022 - 2026
HCMC, July/202 4
I. Describe our visit purpose. The purpose of our visit to Yakult was to understand their production and management processes in Vietnam. Yakult is the world's leading fermented milk drink, containing the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus casei Shirota, a successfully isolated, which was strengthened and cultured by Japanese professor Minoru Shirota in 1930. In 1935, Yakult's first introduced in Japan and extend the market to Vietnam in 2006. With nearly 90 years of development and a presence in 40 countries and regions around the world, Yakult showed us their inspiration and insights about health, and how Yakult improves people's health, and learned many things about the immunity of the body. II. Explain what happened during our visit in chronological order. 10:10 am - Introduction to Yakult We started our visit at 10:10 am with an introduction to the Yakult company. We learned that Yakult's headquarters are in Japan and “Worldwide Yakult” has shown us an over 40 countries and regions distributing products around the world: Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Australia, Brazil, United State, Canada, Mexico, ... We were also introduced to the different Yakult product lines available globally, and each place has a different popular product. Depending on each country's needs and different nutritional supplement purposes, Yakult produces diverse product lines to suit Asian and European consumers around the world, thereby launching suitable products in the market to sell best. Japan is the largest consumption in the world, they consume more than 10 million bottles of the total global Yakult consumption of 40 million bottles a year. 10:25 am - Company History At 10:25 am, we were given a detailed presentation on the history of Yakult by Mrs. Linh. This session covered how Professor Minoru Shirota successfully isolated the Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain in 1930, the founding of the company, its growth over the years, and key milestones that have shaped its success. We will summarize that as follows. In 1935, the first product was launched in Japan. In 1955, the first company named Yakult Honsha was established. In 1964, the first overseas business to begin in Taiwan was opened, with average is 30 employees. 2006/06/26 Yakult company in Vietnam was established. In 2008, started self-sufficiency in Vietnam and exported to Kampuchea. And Yakult continues to expand throughout the world. Besides, they also have “The Yakult Lady System”, a home delivery system by women. 10:50 am - Operating Principles and Product Benefits By 10:50 am, the focus shifted to Yakult's operating principles and the benefits of its products. We learned about the science behind Yakult, including the role of probiotics in promoting gut health and overall well-being. Lactobacillus casei Shirota bacteria found in Yakult balance intestinal bacteria, help maintain good intestinal function, support digestion, and enhance immunity. After that is five factors that cause digestive disorders include stress, age (the beneficial bacteria of the elderly, according to surveys, are mostly reduced 1,000 times compared to younger generations), unbalanced diet (contains a lot of fat, fat
causes harmful bacteria to thrive), antibiotics (drug abuse...), harmful microorganisms (from outside sources such as fast food, living hours,...); four symptoms of digestive disorders: stomach cramps, abnormal defecation,... leading to cancer and other dangerous complications. Some solutions to help reduce the possibility of digestive disorders are usually a scientific and moderate diet, physical activity, use of dietary supplements, ... According to previous studies, the body contains 85% good bacteria and 15% harmful bacteria, which is the golden ratio of healthy gut health. Therefore, with 20 trillion beneficial bacteria, 100 trillion microorganisms, Yakult has perfectly grasped one of the golden keys to intestinal health. Throughout a reportage “Sữa uống lên men - "Thần dược" ngay trong khẩu phần ăn thường ngày của người Nhật” we have understood more about the benefit and role of Yakult in life daily. Ingredients in Yakult mainly include skimmed milk powder and sugar. Each bottle of Yakult has more than 6.5 billion beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus casei Shirota, fat <=0.3g, with a shelf life of 40 days and stored at temperatures from 5 to 10 degrees Celsius. The Yakult Original line has about 11.7g including both glucose and sucrose, while the Yakult Light 6.2g line mainly includes glucose, sucrose, maltose, and sucrose, to reduce sweetness and add flavor to the product, in addition to helping Yakult's probiotics easily reach the target, small intestine and performs the function of improving digestion in the intestinal tract. In addition, there are other studies on the survival ability of Yakult bacteria (Truong Tuyet Mai 2017), increasing benefits and reducing harm (Matsumoto et al. 2010), harmful substances (Preter et al. 2004), reducing consumption running (Sakari et al. 2011), increased resistance (Gleeson et al. 2011). 11:15 am – Product Experience During the process of learning about the factory, we had the opportunity to experience the difference between Yakult Original and Yakult LIGHT. Yakult LIGHT provides a lower calorie option than Yakult Original, without reducing the product’s beneficial bacteria and health benefits. Both products contain the beneficial Lactobacillus casei Shirota bacteria and provide similar benefits in balancing gut bacteria, supporting digestion and boosting immunity. 11:23 am - Factory visit At 11:23, we started the visit of Yakult factory. During this visit, we observed the entire production process, from fermentation and probiotics development to the production of Yakult milk bottles. This gives us a comprehensive understanding of how Yakult creates products in the most complete way.
- Seed Room. The seed room is used to ferment bacteria, multiply them. The ingredients are lean milk powder (glucose, water, turmeric powder) that serves as the environment for the Yakult bacteria to grow, and glucose as the food for Yakult and feed for 24 hours, when the standard is reached, the temperature is reduced to 5 degrees C. Then take a sample of the bacteria and bring it to the general administration room, transplant it: pour it directly into the spruce and burn it on fire. Subsequently, the sample will be taken to the quality preservation room for quality verification. The recycled containers will be put into the
IV. What did you learn from the organization? Yakult provided us with invaluable insights and skills, especially in the way how their factory operates and creates products. These experiences have greatly accelerated our professional growth and trained us to take on new challenges in the future. V. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. Yakult’s strenghts:
- Manufactured using Japanese technology.
- Leading in the field of intestinal bacteria research. Exclusive Probiotic Lactobacillus Casei Shirota strain.
- Consumed in 40 countries and region.
- Reasonable prices, suitable for the budget of the majority of consumers.
- Developed and existed for a long time, reputable.
- Production standards such as HACCP quality management system, ISO 22000, ISO 14001 environmental management system and system Occupational Health and Safety Management OHSAS 18001.
- Yakult has three unique sources of strength: everywhere is local from "The Yakult Lady System", The wellspring of future competitiveness, nearly 90 years as a probiotics pioneer. This is the Sources of Yakult’s Strength.
- Yakult take the strength of human resources and the spirit of harmony as their greatest driving forces.
- Unique delivery system: Yakult Lady. The foundation of the home delivery system and invest effort, Yakult improve it in creating an organization that can communicate Yakult’s appeal to even more people.
- Yakult continuously invests in scientific research and development to improve products more and more completely, creating more healthful products. In addition, Yakult also pays special attention to the needs of consumers both domestically and internationally.
- Yakult follows strict quality control procedures, ensuring product safety and effectiveness, giving users the best experience. Yakult’s weaknesses:
- The product flavor is not rich (only has a natural fermentation smell).
- The bottling form is monotonous (one style of bottling, packaging).
- Market penetration: While Yakult is popular in many regions, there might be areas with low awareness or availability of its products.
- Dependency on a Single Product Line: Yakult's primary focus is on its probiotic drink, which could be a risk if market trends shift.
- Cost: High production standards and quality control can lead to higher product prices, which may limit market accessibility in price-sensitive regions. VI. What should we recommend for improvement if required?
- Make use of cutting-edge technologies to bring out the product's inherent flavor without adding artificial flavorings.
- Design fresh, practical, and eye-catching packaging.
- Use Eco-Friendly Packaging.
- Cost Management: Explore ways to optimize production costs without compromising quality, making products more affordable.
- Technological Upgrades: Invest in advanced technologies to further improve production efficiency and sustainability practices. VII. References. Scribd. (2024). SWOT Yakult. https://fr.scribd.com/document/707539910/SWOT-Yakult. YAKULT HONSHA CO., LTD. (2023). ANNUAL REPORT 2023. Japan: www.yakult.co.jp. YAKULT. (n.d.). Yakult Honsha. Retrieved from yakult.co.jp: https://www.yakult.co.jp/english/ir/about/ VIII. Photos.
