Business Management Unit 3 - Yakult excursion

On Tuesday 20 April, the Year 12 Business Management students travelled to the Yakult factory in Dandenong to learn about their operations management.

Divided into each of our classes, we were taken on a tour through the factory to see where the Yakult polystyrene bottles are made, as well as the machines that ferment the milk that contains the unique Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain, which has been shown to have many benefits for our digestive health.

During the tour, we were given a comprehensive insight into their operations to ensure the quality of the Yakult product continues to satisfy the market’s expectations. It was also really fascinating to learn how Yakult are being socially responsible towards their stakeholders. For example, the factory uses a robotic arm to transfer the slabs of Yakult onto pallets to ensure the health and safety of employees are not compromised. The Yakult factory also has a water treatment facility where they reduce the acidity of any liquid wastes before moving through the water pipes to avoid corrosion, and thereby being socially responsible towards the community.

Although tasting the Yakult was a highlight for the day, I really enjoyed applying the theory learnt in class into real life case studies, and I’m really excited to further unpack these concepts in our studies into the Operations Management unit which is our last area of study for Unit 3 in Business Management.

Elyse Pretty