Packaged drinking water or mineral water plant is a profitable business in India. Here in this post we intend to deliver information on ‘how to establish a small scale mineral water plant.’
Mineral water is a purified water fortified with requisite amounts of minerals such as Barium, Iron, Manganese, etc. which can be absorbed by human body. It is either obtained from natural resources like
spring and drilled wells or it is fortified artificially by blending and treating with mineral salts. Packaged drinking water means water derived from any source of potable water and subjected to various treatments to meet the prescribed standard before being packed in a plastic or glass container. Water containing less than 250ppm of total dissolved solids are defined as natural mineral water. Rising health awareness, an increase in tourism and the easy availability of bottled water have increased the per capita consumption of bottled water in India.
MINERAL WATER PLANT – MARKET POTENTIAL
The total market was valued at Rs.60 billion in 2013, of which the top five players accounted for 67% of the market share.This market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22 percent, to reach Rs.160 billion in 2018. The increase in the number of domestic and foreign tourists in the past years, and in the years to come, is expected to be a major driver for bottled water sales in India. Mineral water is one of the fastest growing industry in the country. The Southern part of the country accounts the major market share. Chennai alone accounts for a quarter of the revenue of the packaged water industry. According to the Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association, there are 370 authorised water supply units across the state of Tamil Nadu. The drinking water industry here has seen tremendous growth in the last four years, with hundreds of small-scale suppliers entering the water market. Apart from the domestic and commercial use of packaged water, the Indian Railways is a huge potential market. Water bottles, especially the 2-litre variety, are fast movers among the travelling population. A small scale mineral water plant is a profitable venture for the regional players also.
BUSINESS REGISTRATION & LICENSE FOR MINERAL WATER PLANT
In starting a small scale mineral water plant, you must obtain different registration and license from Government authority. Check your state’s law. Here we have listed some of the general criteria.
● Business registration with ROC
● Trade License from Municipal Authority
● Udyog Aadhaar MSME registration. This is optional.
● Factory License
● Food Operator License
● BIS Certification. ISI Specification for packaged drinking water is IS 14543:1998 and for packaged natural mineral water is IS 13428:1998.
● NOC from Pollution Control Board
● Trademark Registration
MINERAL WATER PLANT UNIT SETUP COST MACHINERY
A covered area of 500 Sq Ft and uncovered area of 500 Sq Ft in required to start a small scale packaged drinking water or mineral water plant. The cost of the plant hugely depends on the packaging facility you want to get. Packaged drinking water is generally available in the market in the form of 200 ml pouch packing, 500 ml bottles, 1-liter bottles, 2-liter bottles, 5-liter jars and 20-liter drums. According to the investment capacity and desired packaging, you must select the right type of plant. You can go with a fully-automatic plant. Otherwise, a semi-automatic plant is also very effective comparing the fixed cost investment. We have listed here some of the major machinery and equipment.
● Alum. Treatment tanks
● Reverse Osmosis Plant
● Chlorination tanks made of S. Steel
● Sand filter
● Activated Carbon filter
● Micron filters
● Ultraviolet disinfectant system
● Electronic doser for alum
● Electronic doser for Chlorine
● Ozone Generator
● Raw and Purified water collection tanks with motor and accessories
● Automatic rinsing filling and capping machine
● Shrink wrapping machine for bottle
● Miscellaneous tools equipment, pipeline etc.
● Laboratory testing and Quality Control, Micro-biological instruments etc.
MINERAL WATER PLANT PRODUCTION PROCESS & RAW MATERIALS
Mineral water production follows various steps.
Step-1
Raw water to be processed is collected in tanks. A known quantity is pumped into the above tank where the water is dozed with alum for coagulation with heavy metals or insoluble matters.
Step-2
The water after coagulation is allowed to settle for an hour. The impurities may be removed by Reverse Osmosis techniques also. The supernatant water
Step-3
The supernatant water is taken to the chlorination tank where primary disinfection is brought about by
bubbling chlorine gas. The water is then
Step-4
The water is then passed through sand filters for trapping of undissolved impurities. The water after
sand filtration is passed through Carbon filters for removal of odour, colour and also for dechlorination.
Step-5
It is then passed through series of micro fillers comprising 5 microns, 1 micron and 0.4-micron filter followed by ultraviolet disinfection system for terminal disinfection.
Step-6
The last step is packing. According to the requirement, packing is done through an automatic rinsing, filling, and capping machine fitted with an Ozone generator. The bottles after capping are shrink wrapped (Optional) and packed in corrugated boxes of one dozen each.
Apart from raw water other require raw material are chemicals, reagents, pouches, bottles, jars and outer cartoons. In mineral water plant, major required utility is electricity.
