Suntory Mineral Waters Minami Alps Co. , LTD (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Tetsunaga Kida; a wholly owned subsidiary of Suntory Beverage & Food) is pleased to announce that construction of the Suntory Mineral Waters Minami Alps Co. , LTD Hakushu Plant will be completed on April 22, 2010. The plant is being built on-site at Suntory Hakushu Distillery and Natural Mineral Water Hakushu Plant in Hokuto, Yamanashi, and will produce natural mineral water.
As a new base of production for Suntory's growing mineral water business, the plant further ensures a stable supply of fresh water for Suntory Natural Mineral Water. The plant is designed for integrated processing that includes production of PET plastic bottles, filling and packaging, and quality control under strict hygienic conditions using advanced equipment and production techniques. It will produce Suntory Natural Mineral Water (Minami Alps), marketed mainly in Eastern Japan.
The plant marks the fourth base of production for Suntory Natural Mineral Water, joining Natural Mineral Water Hakushu Plant (Hokuto, Yamanashi), Kyushu Kumamoto Factory (Kamimashiki, Kumamoto), and Buna No Mori Plant, Okudaisen (Hino, Tottori).
Upholding the corporate slogan of "Water for Life, Suntory," it will be an environmentally sound plant that demonstrates industry-leading resource and energy efficiency. While promoting conservation to operate in harmony with the community and natural environment, the plant will incorporate strict quality management practices to offer safe and refreshing natural mineral water products.
By sorting and reclaiming water used in various production processes, recycling as much as possible, and using hot water for disinfection, the plant is expected to require less than approximately 50% of the amount of water used at the existing Suntory Natural Mineral Water Hakushu Plant, per production unit *¹.
To reduce environmental impact at all stages from production to delivery, CO2 emissions will be reduced by (1) introducing the lightest two-liter PET bottles (36 g) made in Japan *², (2) installing the largest solar panel array in the beverage industry *², (3) recycling the high-pressure air used in PET bottle production *³, and (4) using the heat from the hot water that is generated in production processes for temperature control and coordinating the temperature difference in production and temperature-control systems.
