Introduction

Indians currently spending about $330m a year on bottled water, analysts estimate. The packaged water market constitutes 15 per cent of the overall packaged beverage industry, which has annual sales of at least $2.6bn, Deepak Jolly, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola India said. Almost all the major international and national brands water bottles are available in Indian market right from the malls to railway stations, bus stations, grocery stores and even at panwala's shop. Before few years bottle water. was considered as the rich people's choice, but now it is penetrated even in rural areas. The growth and status of Indian Bottled Industry in comparison with Western or Asian market, India is far behind in terms of quantum, infrastructure, professionalism and standards implementation. The per capita consumption of mineral water in India is a mere 0.5-liter compared to 111 liter in Europe and 45-liter in USA. Also As per UN study conducted in 122 countries, in connection with water quality, India's number was dismal 120. In comparison to global standards India's bottled water segment is largely unregulated. Former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has urged youngsters on July 17, 2010 to be aware of water conservation techniques to avoid grave water crisis in future."It is so sad that today, people are forced to buy water in plastic bottles. I am told that bottled water industry is worth nearly 10000 crore rupees and even big companies like the Coke and Pepsi are involved in this bottling of water and making money. So, it is imperative that we ought to save water," he added. Do not be surprise if today's bottles water industry becomes next Oil industry by 2025.

Bottled Water Industry in India Water Shortage and Health Awareness Driving Bottled Water Consumption in India. The Indian market is estimated at about Rs 1,000 Crore and is growing at whopping rate of 40 per cent. By 2010, it will reach Rs 4,000 -5,000

On March 25, 2011 India has sent 10,000 litres of bottled water to Japan, reeling under the devastation caused by disaster of Earthquake, tsunami and worst nuclear accidents of Japan Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has spoken to his Japanese counterpart Naoto Kan on phone and offered any additional assistance his country may need to deal with the devastation caused by the March 11 earthquake of magnitude 9 and tsunami which left over 26,000 people dead or unaccounted for.

Crore with 33 per cent market for natural mineral water. According to a national-level study, there are more than 200 bottled water brands in India and among them nearly 80 per cent are local brands. In fact, making bottled water is today a cottage industry in the country. Leave alone the metros, where a bottled-water manufacturer can be found even in a one-room shop, in every medium and small city and even some prosperous rural areas there are bottled water manufacturers. While India ranks in the top 10 largest bottled water consumers in the world, its per capita per annum consumption of bottled water is estimated to be five litres which is comparatively lower than the global average of 24 litres. Today it is one of India's fastest growing industrial sectors. Between 1999 and 2004, the Indian bottled water market grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 per cent - the highest in the world. The total annual bottled water consumption in India had tripled to 5 billion liters in 2004 from 1.5 billion liters in 1999. Global consumption of bottled water was nearing 200 billion liters in 2006. Bottled water top players in India The market leader is Bisleri International, which boasts a 40 per cent share. It is followed by CocaCocas Kinley (around 25 per cent) and PepsiCos Aquafina (around 10 per cent). The top players in bottled water industry in India are the major international giants like Coca cola, Pepsi, Nestle and noticeable presence of national players like

Mount Everest, Manikchand, Kingfisher, Mohan Meakins, SKN Breweries , Indian Railways so on. With increasing competition, this sector will register a robust growth in 2010, predict industry analysts. To take on rivals in this sector, PepsiCo India is drawing up a fresh game plan which includes, investment in capacity enhancement, packaging initiatives and below-theline activities to pump up volumes in the over-crowded category. Meanwhile, swadeshi major Parle Agro is extending the manufacturing facility for Bailley from 29 to 60 plants this year. While swadeshi major Bisleri International is beefing up its distribution, manufacturing and marketing operations, Coca-Cola India is sharpening its focus on packaging initiatives of Kinley to woo new consumes. In essence, the packaged water industry in India will soon witness a major tussle between swadeshi and videshi players to gain market and mind share. The western region accounts for 40 per cent of the market and the eastern region just 10. However, the bottling plants are concentrated in the southern region - of the approximately 1,200 bottling water plants in India, 600 are in Tamil Nadu. But a major problem is southern India, especially Tamil Nadu, is water starved. Top multinational players such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been trying for the past decade to capture the Indian bottled water market. Today they have captured a significant portion of it. However, Parle Bisleri continues to hold 40 per cent of the market share. Kinley and

Aquafina are fast catching up, with Kinley holding 20-25 per cent of the market and Aquafina approximately 10 per cent. The rest, including the smaller players, have 20-25 per cent of the market share. History of Bottled water in India Mineral bottled water in India under the name 'Bisleri' was first introduced in Mumbai by Bisleri Ltd., a company of Italian origin in 1965. Mineral bottled water were in glass bottles in two varieties - bubbly and still in 1965 This company was started by Signor Felice who first brought the idea of selling bottled water in India. Parle bought over Bisleri (India) Ltd. In 1969 and started bottling Mineral water in glass bottles under the brand name 'Bisleri'. Later Parle switched over to PVC nonreturnable bottles and finally advanced to PET containers. Since 1995 Mr.Ramesh J. Chauhan has started expanding Bisleri operations substantially and the turn over has multiplied more than 20 times over a period of 10 years and the average growth rate has been around 40% over this period. Presently it have 8 plants and 11 franchisees all over India. Bisler command a 60% market share of the organized market. Currently, Bailley has a national presence in 5 lakh retail outlets across the country. We plan to increase manufacturing plants for Bailley from 29 to 60, presently 40 plants are operational and few more will be ready for operations over the next few months, informed Nadia Chauhan, joint managing director of Parle Agro.

Variety of packages Bottled water is sold in a variety of packages: pouches and glasses, 330 ml bottles, 500 ml bottles, one- litre bottles and even 20- to 50-litre bulk water packs. The formal bottled water business in India can be divided broadly into three segments in terms of cost: premium natural mineral water, natural mineral water and packaged drinking water. Premium natural mineral water includes brands such as Evian, San Pelligrino and Perrier, which are imported and priced between Rs.80 and Rs.110 a litre. Natural mineral water, with brands such as Himalayan and Catch, is priced around Rs.20 a litre. Packaged drinking water, which is nothing but treated water, is the biggest segment and includes brands such as Parle, Bisleri, Coca-Cola's Kinley and PepsiCo's Aquafina. They are priced in the range of Rs.10-12 a litre. The FDA also classifies some bottled water according to its origin. Artesian well water Water from a well that taps an aquifer-layers of porous rock, sand and earth that contain water--which is under pressure from surrounding upper layers of rock or clay. Mineral water. Water from an underground source that contains at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. Minerals and trace elements must come from the source of the underground water. They cannot be added later. Spring water Derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the earth's surface. Spring water must be collected only at the spring or through a borehole tapping the underground formation feeding the spring. If some external force is used to collect the water through a borehole, the water must have the same composition and quality as the water that naturally flows to the surface. Well water. Water from a hole bored or drilled into the ground, which taps into an aquifer. Tap Water Some bottled water also comes from municipal sources--in other words--the tap. Municipal water is usually treated before it is bottled. Why Bottled water? Millions of people, both in rural and urban India, suffer from inadequate or no tap water supply. Even some parts of Mumbai, the country's financial capital, get a mere two hours of daily water supply. The city's Virar suburb gets 45 minutes. So bottled water is much in demand by residents - even though the businesses profiting from the sales are thriving from access to public water sources. Bottled water fills a void created by government failure to address basic services, Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute writes

Rail neer plant opened at Palur A rail neer plant (water manufacturing unit) catering to the packaged drinking water needs of all railway stations in South India particularly Tamil Nadu was inaugurated at Palur, nearly 60 kms from here, on Monday. This is the third in the country and the first in South India. It has the capacity to manufacture bottles that can hold up to 180,000 litres of water per day.

PepsiCo signs up Sharman Joshi as 7UP brand ambassador Food and beverage maker PepsiCo on March 21, 2011 said it has roped in Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi as the brand ambassador for its carbonated lemon drink brand 7UP. The company's marketing campaign Gussa Hatao,

in its World Water report. "In many parts of the world, tap water is not available or safe to drink," writes . "In these regions, the failure of governments to provide basic water services has opened the door to private companies and vendors filling a critical need, albeit at a very high cost to consumers." The institute reasons that governments should tap into spending on commercial water by consumers to secure funds to provide safe water at fraction of the cost. Bottled water has been treated by distillation, reverse osmosis, or other suitable process and that meets the definition of "purified water". The bottled water treatments include: * Distillation. In this process, water is turned into a vapor. Since minerals are too heavy to vaporize, they are left behind, and the vapors are condensed into water again. * Reverse osmosis. Water is forced through membranes to remove minerals in the water. * Absolute 1 micron filtration. Water flows through filters that remove particles larger than one micron in size, such as "Cryptosporidium", a parasitic protozoan. * Ozonation. Bottlers of all types of waters typically use ozone gas, an antimicrobial agent, to disinfect the water instead of chlorine, since chlorine can leave residual taste and odor to the water.

Chill Machao -- to promote the brand on multiple media platforms

Bottled Water: How Safe? The bottled water industry has spent billions over the past decade to sell you on the idea that bottled water is better than tap water. Well the short answer is they are both unhealthy. One of the most ironic parts of the bottled water tragedy is that the water bottling industry gets the water free, filters it, bottles it and sells it back to us at 1,900% profit. The ironic part is that tap water is legislated to be 7.0 pH neutral. They first dump a TON of cholrine in the water to kill off all the bad bacteria, this makes it highly acidic. In India around 100 companies sell an estimated 424 million litres of bottled water valued at around Rs 200 crore in the country annually . Most bottlers claim that their water is 100 per cent bacteria-free and contains minerals that make it tastier and healthier. But is the water in these bottles really safe to drink? Do they conform to international or national standards? To find out, the Ahmedabad-based Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), an independent non-profit institution with a sophisticated product-testing laboratory, recently carried out a detailed

study on 13 major brands of bottled water available in the country. The national brands -- Bisleri (separate samples were taken from their units in Bangalore, Ghaziabad, Calcutta and Baroda) and Bailley (Mumbai and Surat) -- were selected on the basis of their dominant position in the overall market. Bisil (Mehsana), Golden Eagle (Chennai), Aquaspa (Mumbai),Saiganga (Ahmednagar), Nirantar (Thane), Trupthi (Chennai) and Yes (Nadiad) were included because of their regional popularity. To conform to international standards for such testing, 21 bottles of each brand were tested in the CERS laboratory against "analytical" and "sensory" parameters as well as for "microbiological" contamination. To ensure fairness, the results were sent to the individual companies for their comments. So how safe is bottled water? Not that safe, says the CERS survey. As many as 10 of the 13 brands had foreign floating objects in clear violation of norms. Again during a surprise inspection by the health committee chairman Manjunatha Reddy and team at two mineral water units in the Bangalore on January 11, 2011, it was found that mineral water production unit owners were bottling borewell water. The units were also illegally using several branded labels on the bottles to market the water. The standing committee visited a mineral water production unit called AM Enterprises and found the owner selling water without an ISI mark from the Bureau of India Standards. He was found mixing mineral water with borewell water and selling it in cans to the public.

Water resources over-exploited The majority of the bottling plants are dependent on groundwater. They create huge water stress in the areas where they operate because groundwater is also the main source - in most places the only source of drinking water in India.This has created huge conflict between the community and the bottling plants. Private companies in India can siphon out, exhaust and export groundwater free because the groundwater law in the country is archaic and not in tune with the realities of modern capitalist societies. The existing law says that "the person who owns the land owns the groundwater beneath". This means that, theoretically, a person can buy one square metre of land and take all the groundwater of the surrounding areas and the law of land cannot object to it. This law is the core of the conflict between the community and the companies and the major reason for making the business of bottled water in the country highly lucrative. Take for instance the case of Coca-Cola's bottling plant in droughtprone Kala Dera near Jaipur. Coca-Cola gets its water free except for a tiny cess (for discharging the wastewater) it pays to the State

Vermont Students Toward Environmental Protection (VSTEP) aims to spread student awareness of environmental issues at UVM and to promote sustainable university policies, according to the VSTEP website. By banning bottled water from campus, UVM would be the first public university to discontinue the sale

Pollution Control Board - a little over Rs.5,000 a year during 2000-02 and Rs.24,246 in 2003. It extracts half a million litres of water every day - at a cost of 14 paise per 1,000 litres. So, a Rs.10 per litre Kinley water has a raw material cost of just 0.02-0.03 paise. (It takes about two to three litres of groundwater to make one litre of bottled water.) On April 7, more than 1,500 villagers defied a police cordon and marched to Coca-Cola's bottling plant in Mehdiganj village, Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh state, demanding that the company immediately shut down its bottling plant. In January, the New Delhi-based Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) advised Coca-Cola to shut a bottling plant in the drought-stricken state of Rajasthan. India's Ministry of Water Resources has ranked 80% of ground water resources in Rajasthan as "over- exploited" and nearly 34% resources as "dark/ critical", the gravest ranking across the country Bottled water companies earn high profits What is amazing is that people are prepared to pay Rs. 12 for a liter of water-in India especially when the cost of material input (0.25 paisa per liter excluding labors cost) pales into insignificance before the price of the product. Up to 40% of bottled water comes from the same source as tap water, but is sold back to consumers at hundreds of times the cost, says the website of the North American "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign. Not only the CocaCola but there are thousands of brands in India's $445 million packaged water industry. Not just bottlers are involved. In south India, thousands of fuel trucks converted to be water carriers sell ground water to households and establishments at about $10 for 5,000 liters. More than 13,000 tankers carry water drawn from farmland surrounding Chennai, according a social activist R Srinivasan. He estimates a $148 million tanker industry is cashing in on Chennai's acute water scarcity. The story is replicated across India, including in New Delhi. Plastic Bottles Pollution Tap water is a local product that needs

and distribution of bottled water, according to the SGA resolution in support of a sustainable beverage system.

Bottled water major Bisleri International on June 8, 2011 said it is looking at entering Middle East countries as part of its strategy to expand its overseas presence. As part of the plan, the company said it will consider setting up more manufacturing facilities outside India. The company, which enjoys a majority share in the packaged drinking water

no packaging. Globally, bottled water accounts for as many as 1.5 million tons of plastic waste annually, according to the Sierra Club. In addition, billions of bottles end up in the ground every year. Sadly, only 20% ever get recycled, according to the Container Recycling Institute. The other 80%? Besides landfills, many bottles end up in oceans, posing a risk to marine life. By purchasing bottled water, youre indirectly raising the price of gasoline and contributing to Global Warming and climate change. In 2007, the manufacturers of plastic water bottles generated more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil, according to the Pacific Institute. Americans drank more than 30 billion single-serving bottles of water last year. Yet the vast majority of us have an unlimited source of clean, EPA-regulated tap water flowing from our faucets. Plastic Bottles requires costly Oil Making the plastic in the bottles requires 47 million gallons of oil annually. And that doesnt include the jet fuel and gasoline required to transport the bottles- sometimes halfway around the world. The anti-bottling protests The anti-bottling protests in India against Pepsi and Coca-Cola echo increased concern in Europe and the United States over the proliferation of bottled water, including the creation of billions of soon unwanted plastic containers. In India, protests against the bottling plant in drought-prone Kala Dera near Jaipur focus on the source of the packaged water and how bottling companies are grabbing underground water. The truth is, many water companies get their water from sources in developing countries, such as India and Fiji. In those places, the companies take water that once belonged to an entire village and buy it for themselves, forcing the villagers to pay for water that they used to be able to use as a community, free of charge. On February 25, 2011 the Indian state of Kerala has passed a bill allowing compensation claims against soft drink giant Coca-Cola over alleged environmental damage caused by a bottling plant. The legislation adopted by the state assembly on Thursday creates a

segment in India, had earlier announced that it plans to enter Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. As part of its international expansion plan, the company said it will have to set up a manufacturing facility overseas, apart from looking for partnerships.

The anti- bottling protests in India against Pepsi and Coca Cola in India

tribunal empowered to process claims for alleged losses resulting from violations of environmental regulations. The Palakkad bottling factory in Kerala was closed in 2005 after protests from activists and residents. A high-level state panel concluded last year that the plant had caused environmental and soil degradation as well as water contamination, and recommended a fine of 47 million dollars. Coca-Cola denied all the allegations. Pro-tap water consciousness The London Evening Standard newspaper ran a "Water on Tap" campaign in April to have tap water available for drinking in city restaurants and bars. The tabloid reported getting support for its antipackaged water campaign from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the mayor's office, leading restaurants and chains such as Starbucks, Costa Coffee and McDonald's. Following growing protap water consciousness, bottled water sales in Britain dipped 9% in the year to March 08. Economists at the California-based Pacific Institute that estimated the $100 billion value of the global industry, ask why consumers are readily paying for bottled water typically costing a thousand times more per liter than high-quality municipal tap water. "Are consumers willing to pay this price because they believe that bottled water is safer than tap water?" Pacific Institute experts ask. "Do they have a real taste preference for bottled water? Or is the convenience of the portable plastic bottle the major factor? Are they taken in by the images portrayed in commercials and on the bottles?" The study, conducted by the US-based Earth Policy Institute, says the global consumption of bottled water has grown by 57 per cent over the past five years, despite the fact that the product is often no healthier than tap water and costs up to 10,000 times more. Emily Arnold, the author of report, says that the $100 billion spent each year on bottled water is nearly 7 times the sum invested in providing safe drinking water in developing countries.

Coca-Cola India Deploys SolarPowered eKOCool

Bottled Water law in India The term "mineral water" is misleading because our laws do not stipulate the minimum mineral content level required for water to be labelled as such. Ahmedabad-based Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), an independent non-profit institution with a sophisticated product-testing laboratory, recently carried out a detailed study on 13 major brands of bottled water available in the country. As many as 10 of the 13 brands had foreign floating objects in clear violation of norms found in the survey. The CERS study indicates that there is

Coca-Cola India has found an eco- friendly way to boost its beverage sales in remote places in rural India that do not have sufficient electric power. The Indian business arm of the Atlanta-based company has developed eKOCool, a chest cooler powered by solar energy. The cooler is designed to keep two crates of bottles, each containing 48 numbers of 300 ml glass bottles in chilled condition. The solar cooler can also be used to charge cell phones or supply power to homes. The new introduction provides the company a competitive advantage over its rivals in

an urgent need to revise standards for bottled water. Health Issue-Purity of bottled water City water systems must issue right to know reports about whats in the water. Bottlers successfully killed this requirement for bottled water. Up to 70% of bottled water is unregulated by the Food & Drug Administration. Acceptance of the supposed purity of bottled water is being undermined in India by the government Health Department's warning of pesticides and contaminating organisms being present in some bottled products. The notion that commercial products taste better has also taken a knock from Decanter, a British magazine, which last December featured top wine tasters testing unmarked samples of water from 22 brands, along with tap water from utility company Thames Water and water from the Decanter office water cooler. The Decanter panel ranked serviced tap water third in the list, above the world's leading brand, Evian (15th), and the world's most expensive bottled water 420 Volcanic (18th) and Bling H20 (22nd out of 24 brands tasted). 420 Volcanic sells at $99 a liter, and Bling H20 (in Swarovski crystal-studded bottles) at $79 a liter. Decanter editor Guy Woodward said the tasting test exposed the "outrageous" prices of mineral water.

exploiting the Indian rural markets. The company, under a pilot project, has introduced the eKOCool in 20 rural regions in Agra (UP) this summer. It found that the sales from the outlets have almost increased by five times. The beverages kept inside the cooler during the previous night or early morning get chilled and are ready to be served in the morning. The solar cooling equipment also cuts down the costs incurred in the use of electric power or purchase of ice to keep the bottles in chilled condition. New WHO guidelines for safer drinking water supply systems The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued revised drinking water guidelines on July 26, 2011, urging governments to strengthen water quality management and asking water suppliers to improve their

Traditional Indian methods of cooling and purifying water Now people of India turning their backs on the country's ancient methods of cooling and purifying water. Stored in earthen pots, for instance, it is not only refreshingly cool and tasty but is said to become bacteria-free. Yet the common summer sight of water matkas (earthen pots) in public offices and spaces is giving way to upturned plastic drums dispensing packaged water. Rainwater is safe, doesnt bring about adverse effects. For centuries people have thought Bottled water rainwater as unsafe, but contrary to their Manufacturing plant beliefs, as per an Australian study, drinking of untreated rainwater is safe for human health. The study was conducted under the auspices of eminent researchers from Melbournes Monash University. The entire

team took a look at 300 homes that used rainwater collected in water tanks as their primary drinking source.This endeavor has been described as a world first study that comes in the midst of growing criticism of bottled water.

faulty service to consumers, in order to prevent often fatal waterborne diseases.

New development in bottled water industry PepsiCo sales growing twice as fast as Coca-Cola August 10, 2011: In the Rs 11,000-crore soft drinks market, where volume growth is significantly lower than two years back in any case, PepsiCo reported 17% volume growth during April-June while Coca-Cola grew 8%. This is the biggest gap in growth between the two cola rivals in the past 3-4 years when they were growing neck-to-neck. Eureka Forbes to enter packaged drinking water market MUMBAI: July 15, 2011: Water purification appliances-maker Eureka Forbes is making a foray into the packaged water segment and will roll out the bottled water product on a panIndia basis by next year, a top company official said.The company will sell the product under the brand name 'AquaSure', in 20-litre and onelitre bottles, but has not divulged the prices. Bisleri looking to enter Middle East countries NEW DELHI, June 30, 2011: Bottled water major Bisleri International said it is looking at entering Middle East countries as part of its strategy to expand its overseas presence.As part of the plan, the company said it will consider setting up more manufacturing facilities outside India. Egypt, India plan $160 mln PET plant in Ain Sokhna June 21, 2011: A joint Indian-Egyptian venture will see the construction of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in Ain Sokhna at a cost of $160 million, officials said. The factorys production capacity will reach 1,200 metric tons per day producing about 420,000 metric tons of PET plastic chips per year. These plastic products will include bottles, food containers, bottled water, bottled drinks, shampoos and cosmetics. Railways hikes capacity of Rail Neer plant at Khagau June 8, 2011: The Rail Neer (mineral water) plant at Khagaul has proved to be a good revenue earner for the railways. The railways has increased its production capacity to one lakh bottles daily to cope with the growing demand in other zones. Soft-drink major hikes prices on rise in VAT Mumbai, May 23, 2011: Soft-drink major Coca-Cola has hiked prices by up to five per cent in at least two major markets such as Maharashtra and Delhi. This is the second price increase being done by the company in the last two months. In April, the firm that sells Thums Up, Sprite, Fanta and Maaza, had hiked prices of its aerated beverages by up to nine per cent due to surging packaging and transportation costs. After the price hike, a 1.25-litre bottle of Thums Up is now available for Rs 39, up from Rs 37. Prices of 200 ml bottles of Sprite, Maaza and Limca are up by Rs 1 from Rs 9. The company has also increased prices of its two-litre bottles of Sprite and Thums Up to Rs 63 from Rs 60. The Indian subsidiary of the US cola giant blames increase in the value added tax (VAT)

levied by state governments of Maharashtra and Delhi for the price hikes. The state valueadded tax (VAT) has increased to 20 per cent from 12.5 per cent earlier, said senior Coca-Cola India officials. Report prepared by Crisil For the total soft drink (carbonated beverages and juices) market, the report prepared by Crisil estimates it at over 285 million crates (about 20 billion units) a year. The market is highly seasonal in nature with consumption varying from 25 million crates per month during peak season to 15 million during off-season. The market is predominantly urban with 25 per cent contribution from rural areas. Coca Cola and Pepsi dominate the Indian soft drinks market. Mineral water market in India is a 65 million crates industry. On an average, the monthly consumption is estimated at 4.9 million crates, which increases to 5.2 million during peak season. Brands Rebranded To share the largest pie this summer 2011, major companies have rebranded their range of beverages products. For instance, PepsiCo has removed its once famous Fido Dido mascot and appointed Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi as its brand ambassador for its 7Up cold drink, whereas the competitor Coca Cola has removed its tag line "Sedhi Baat No Bakwas" with "University of Freshology" for its Sprite brand. Growing use of packaged mineral water set to boost sales The growing use of packaged mineral water for cooking and washing is set to boost sales in the branded water segment this summer 2011. Bisleri, Tata's Himalayan, Pepsi's Aquafina and UB Group's Kingfisher are some of the brands vying for the top slot in the packaged drinking water space, where prices range from Rs 20 to Rs 120 for a 20-litre can. Railways to set up own bottling plant The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) are planning to set up their own bottled water plant in Ambarnath a news on February 20, 2011. The site where the plant is expected to come up is called GIP (Great Indian Peninsula) railway tank in the MIDC area. Rail Neer is the brand name under which the railways sell purified bottled water across the country. Tatas Loses Dispute Over Himalayan Brand on 17th February 2011 The Tata Group has lost its attempt to gain exclusive rights over the word Himalayan, after its Mount Everest bottled water brand lost out to Bisleri International. Indias Intellectual Property Appellate Board has ruled that registering the word 'Himalayan' does not give exclusive rights to any company to use the term as a trademark for its products. Report Warns Energy Drinks Can Be Dangerous for Kids Popular energy drinks made with caffeine can be dangerous for children and teens, according to a report in the journal Pediatrics on February 14, 2011, which says young people shouldn't consume the beverages. The report found that kids with diabetes, mood disorders and heart, kidney or liver diseases could suffer from heart palpitations, seizures, cardiac arrest or death from consuming the drinks, Bloomberg reported. SC quashes action against Pepsi over pesticide content on Nov. 19 The Supreme Court on November 19, 2010 quashed the prosecution of soft drink giant PepsiCo by the Kerala government over the pesticide content found in its bottles picked at random from the market. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Altamash Kabir set aside the criminal proceedings, mainly accepting the argument of the company that there was no law or standard governing pesticide adulteration in cold drinks. The company had argued that it was

following universally accepted norms with regard to pesticide residue in food articles. Coca-Cola Company looking ahead for water Coca-Cola uses 309 billion liters of water annually to produce its beverages. That's about what Atlanta uses in five months, according to the city's Department of Watershed Management. In 2008, the company said, Coca-Cola used 2.43 liters of water to produce an average one-liter beverage. One liter goes into the beverage itself, and 1.43 liters are used for manufacturing processes such as rinsing, cleaning and cooling. The company says its global system of about 1,000 bottling plants is on track to improve water efficiency by 20 percent between 2004 and 2012. India to Serve as Hub for Imported Alaskan Water S2C Global Systems, based in San Antonio, Texas, has announced plans to export 12 billion gallons of water per year from the Blue Lake Reservoir in Sitka, Alaska, to a new, yet-to-bebuilt water hub on the west coast of India The first shipment to the new hub in India whose location remains undisclosed for security reasons is at least 18 months away, Rod Bartlett, president and CEO of S2C Global, told India-West October 15, 2010. The water hub will be built in the next six months, while custom-built water-transport tankers, costing about $75 million, will be built over the next 18 months. Existing oil tankers cannot be used because of potential contamination from leftover oil residues, he explained. The water will be packaged at the hub, and then distributed in India as well as several GCC Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq and UAE. TN Govt urged to take over the sale of bottled water The Tamilnadu Water Supply And Drainage Board (TWAD) Workers Federation on May 15, 2010 suggested the State government take over the sale of bottled drinking water and make it available at Rs. 2 a litre. The State government which was generating a huge income from sale of Indian made Foreign liquor (IMFL) through TASMAC outlets should think of making available good drinking water to people, Federation General Secretary said. The government could earn revenue of Rs 5,000 crore even if it sold water at Rs. 2 a litre, he said adding that multi-national and private companies selling packaged drinking water were earning crores of rupees as profit whereas actual cost of purifying water was less than five paise per litre. Go Green In December 2010 at the Copenhagen Climate talks, organizers wanted to go as green as possible and so they did not provide delegates bottled water and instead offered Copenhagen tap water in corn starch cups. Formation of Indian Beverage Association (IBA) In July 2010 rivals Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have come together along with other beverages makers and bottlers to form the Indian Beverage Association (IBA), which will be the industrys single point of interaction with the government and help companies comply with food safety guidelines and other regulations. Juices maker Dabur, packaging company Tetra Pak, bottling companies Pearl Drinks and Bengal Beverages, energy drink maker Red Bull, and drip and sprinkler s

Bisleri Ltd., a company of Italian origin. This company was started by Signor Felice Bisleriwho first brought the idea of selling bottle water in India. Parle bought over Bisleri (India) Ltd. In 1969 & started bottling Mineral water in glassbottles under the brand name 'Bisleri'. Later Parle switched over to PVC nonreturnablebottles & finally advanced to PET containers.Presently we have 8 plants & 11 franchisees all over India. We command a 60% marketshare of the organized market. Bisleri enjoyed almost a complete monopoly in 1992.Recently, companies like Pepsi and Coco Cola have entered the market to give toughcompetition to Bisleri by introducing brands like Kinley and Aquafina. We at Bisleri value our customers & therefore have developed 8 unique pack sizes to suitthe need of every individual. We are present in 250ml cups, 250ml bottles, 500ml, 1L, 1.5L,2L which are the non-returnable packs & 5L, 20L which are the returnable packs. Ourproduct range now comprises of two variants : Bisleri with added minerals & BisleriMountain Water. Bisleri Water is put through multiple stages of purification, ozonised & finally packed forconsumption. . To maintain strict quality controls each unit performs & caps only from approved vendors.We produce our own bottles in-house. We have recently procured the latest world

classstate of the art machineries that puts us at par with International standards. This has notonly helped us improve packaging quality but has also reduced raw material wastage & doubled production capacity. You can be rest assured that you are drinking safe & purewater when you consume Bisleri. Bisleri is free of impurities & 100% safe. Enjoy the Sweettaste of Purity.The major foreign players are Coca-Cola promoted Kinley, Pepsis Aquafina How Parle Bisleri began..the real boost to mineral water came in the early-tomid-1980s when we switched to PVCpackaging and later to PET bottles. The PET packaging did not just ensure bettertransparency -- we could now show sparkling clear water to the consumers. It also meantbetter life for the water Departments in Parle Bisleri Pvt Ltd1. Filler Department: this is the plant I which the bottles are filled and packed under strict levels of hygiene and safety as per the EU norms.2. Plastics Department: y C aps section y Performs SectionThis is the Department where pet material is processed to make the performs using injectionmoulding machine of 180 and 330 tonnes as per the requirements of the perform.Performs are available in various sizes according to the size of bottle.Bottle sizes Perform Sizes (gms)1 ltr 21500 ml 17250 ml 151.5 ltr 322ltr 345 ltr 7520 ltr 710 C aps are made from a mixture of HDPE LLDPE using injection moulding machine.3. Water Department:Over here the Raw water from the bore wells is treated in several stages before it is filled thusmaking it very pure for human use.4. Blowing department:Here the preforms are blown into bottles. This department has various manual and fullyautomatic stretch blow moulding machines.5. Water testing laboratory: the water-testing lab ensures that the water standards are maintained as per the BIS and EU norms.6. Recycling deparment:All rejected bottles, caps, jars and lump of plastic materials are sent over here for grinding inorder to re-use it. Before it can be grinded it is very carefully segregated in different groups. It isa fully automated machine.7. Storage department:All the stock of finished, semi-finished goods are stored over here and are dispatched as per theorder. Upto 50 tonnes of stock are dispatched in a day. Primary sources 1.

M aterial: The raw water is obtained from bore wells. The bottles are made from polymers such asHDPE, LLDPE and PET.2. Personnel:Bisleri requires mostly skilled and semi skilled labourers include production and plasticengineers.3. C apital assets:4. Bisleri has got 14 injection moulding machines, 2 automatic blow moulding machines and 4semi automatic blow moulding machines. It has also got 2 plants located side by side forproduction purposes. C onversion of subsystem ie Inputs into finished goods Bisleri is considered to be a manufacturing unit as it manufactures the semi finishedproducts.i.e. bottles and caps and also produces the finished products. The distributionnetwork of bisleri is maintained by its distributors and wholesalers. To supply the bigcorp[orates they have there own network. The final output of whole manufacturing processis we get clean pure drinking water bottles of different sizes according to the needs. Production process y The raw material that is stored is in the warehouse is transported to the processingplant nearby. y In the cap department where caps are produced. HDPE and LLDPE which are are inthe form of granules are emptied into the hopper of the injection moulding machineand the caps are produced of the characteristics green colour of Bisleri. The capsthat are produced are automatically packed into cartons. This semi finished productis transported, after quality testing has been done, to what is called the fillingdepartment. In the caps department there are 7 injection moulding machines. y In the performs department which is located in next to the cap department it islocated in the same plant. In the perform department PET material is used tomanufacture performs which are semi finished bottles. They are produced by usingthe injection moulding machine. After the performs are tested by the qualityassurance department, they are packed in cartons and transported to the fillingdepartment. There are 7 injection moulding machine In the blowing department the performs which are obtained are blown to formbottles. Ther are a total of 2 fully automatic blowing machine which are directlyconnected to the filler. There are about 5 more semi automated and blowingmachine which are producing bottles everyday. y

The filler department is situated in a closed and a controlled environment to maintain hygiene. The bottles are transported through a conveyor belt.First the bottles pass through the UV light to kill the bacteria then the bottles are cleaned bypure water, then the bottles are filled to the desired quantity and then they are automatically capped, then the sticker is put on the bottles and the price, manufacturingdate, batch number are printed by a sparying machine, then the bottles are manuallychecked foor any defects, lastly they are packed in cartons and stored in the warehouseready for transportation to its destination. In the water treatment plant the water from the bore wells are stored in the C hlorinatedRaw Water Tank, the chlorine in this tank is used to kill the germs, after that the water goesthrough the sand filter to remove the foul odour, then the water passes through the UVLight chamber where the water passes through it to cure the bacteria and viruses, then thewater passes through a reverse osmosis process to remove the dead membrane of bacteriaand viruses, then the water passes through the silverisation to give the sparkle to the water,then the water passes through the ozonisation process to remove the chlorine and toremove the stale odour