Day 22 - Roy and The Coke Factory

A bright sunny morning was enlightened by the tour to a Coca Cola Factory. On the highway to the coke factory, I saw many interesting sights on how they transport goods to China. After reaching the coke factory, we were gathered in the conference room where we were given a free coke each, followed by watching an inspiring Coca Cola video. Thereafter, the tour guide brought us around the manufacturing area where we witness live on how Coca Cola, Sprite, and Fanta Orange were manufactured. The tour ended with a wide smile on all of our faces as we left the factory with souvenirs, bottled cokes!



Lawn
On the way to the coke factory, I saw a deliver truck filled with lawn. It is not securely tied to the truck, and may roll off to the roads if the ride is bumpy or high winds, which may cause road hazards to other drivers.


Milk Carrier
Further down the highway, there is a container truck transporting fresh milk. Notice that the container has to be securely sealed to prevent spillage and contamination. It also keeps the milk at low temperatures to ensure freshness.


Coke Factory
We've finally reached our destination! Welcome to the Hubei Coke Factory!


Conference Hall
Upon reaching the Coke Factory, we were gathered in the conference hall for a video clip of the Coca Cola market in China.


Free Coke!
Every little boys dream! Ever since I tasted the first sip of Coke when I was a young kid, I fell in love with it because it was really addictive. Now I even have the chance to witness how Coke is produced!


Step 1 (Beverage Mixer)
The first part is mixing all the ingredients into forming the best soft drink, Coca Cola. Big cylinders are used to contain this drink, and powered by hydraulics to mix the ingredients together.


Step 2 (Filling Bottles)
The next step is to fill glass bottles with the desired beverage drinks.


Step 3 (Quality Control in Red Circle) and Step 4 (Loading in Containers)
After filling and sealing the bottles of beverages, it is transported by conveyor belts for inspection before being packed into containers for sale.


Machines Operator
The factory is mostly computerized and run by machines, thus have very few workers as compared to traditional factories in the past where it is mainly operated by manual labor. Now fewer workers are required as they only need people to monitor the manufacturing process.


Guest Store
After viewing the manufacturing process, we were led to the holding area for guests. There were many fascinating things displayed, such as Coca Cola bicycle, weighing machine, soccer goal, Coke Bear, etc..


Tour Guide
Standing in the center is our tour guide for the Coke factory.


Cheers!
The best part is that we all had a free flow of drinks! Drink as much as you can, but we were not allowed to bring the bottles out of the factory.

REFLECTIONS

Leaders in the past operated their industries with manual labor. Such as motor vehicle companies, cars were assembled by hand. Today, cars are manufactured more efficiently and quicker as it is assembled by machines. At the same time, machines allow the manufacturing plant to run a 24-hour shift, and at a constant rate. In the long run, using machines to operate is cheaper and more profitable than using manual labor.


To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.
-Henri Bergson