SIMSRITES LEARN THE SECRET OF OPENING HAPPINESS

Early morning on 5th November 2015, a bunch of 32 students of K J SIMSR chattered excitedly amongst themselves, eagerly anticipating the day’s event that lay ahead of them. K J SIMSR’s Forum for Operations Research & Supply Chain Enthusiasts (FORSE) had organized an industrial visit to Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverage Providing Limited, held in collaboration with Purple Squirrel Eduventures. 

Coca-Cola is the most popular and biggest-selling soft drink in history, as well as one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Their manufacturing practices are recognized as top in the class. 

The Event Manager, Mr. Rafiq provided some fun facts about the Coca-Cola Company during the journey to the Wada Plant. The enthusiastic group reached the plant by 10:30 am. After giving a briefing of the rules and guidelines to be followed, an introductory session was conducted by Mr. Suryakant Jagdale (Plant Manager) which covered the product offerings, Quality Standards followed by them, Various Certifications acquired by them (ISO 9001, ISO 14000, ISO 50000), Types of Packaging done by the Plant (four types – Refillable Glass Bottles, Polyethylene Di-peptide, Canned, Tetra pack), Bottling operations performed for all types of beverages. Most importantly, he also told the students how the wastage was handled in an environment friendly way. 

After this session, came the most fun part – the students were taken to the Assembly Line and briefed about the Processes and Operations undertaken by the plant. The multitude of doubts and questions which the students were armed with on witnessing the workings were later addressed fully when a question answer session was conducted by Mr. Suryakant Jagdale. The visit was finally concluded at around 12:00 pm but not before the group was offered with refreshing cold drinks by the company. 

The students left the plant with insights into the manufacturing processes and the challenges faced. Industry visits sensitize students to the practical challenges that organizations face in the business world, and hence are an integral part of the learning process. This new learning would be beneficial when the participants step into the corporate world.