‘Robots’ produce Bel Aqua

Blow-Chem, producers of Bel Aqua Mineral Water, have raised the standards of bottled water production in Ghana with the installation of a state-of-the-art production technology that eliminates human contact from the production chain.

The fully automated production system manufactured in Italy was built to ensure that the water produced by the company is free of any contact that could lead to contamination.

During a visit to the plant, officials of the company told the Daily Graphic that it took the management two years to design the newly-installed line that had taken away human contact in the production chain making it look as if it was being done by robots.

When the Daily Graphic visited the factory, there were only three persons in the manufacturing area who were supervising the process. They were virtually on a holiday since the process is fully automated.

The processes, right from the picking of the unlabelled bottle, filling, capping, sealing, labelling and boxing, were all automated.

The fourth person that the Daily Graphic saw later was the forklift operator, who came in to convey the packed bottled water to the warehouse.

The Daily Graphic was also shown the laboratory of the company where lab technicians were busy at work testing samples to ensure the right amount of minerals and nutrients.

No human contact

The officials said the company’s dream was to see a line fully automated with the highest quality standards and “no human contact” from the first stage to the final packaging into boxes. 

The vision, they said, was for the rest of the world to recognise that such hygienic standards also existed in Ghana and that Bel Aqua was classified as a world class brand.

“Water is essential for life. It is at the core of nutrition and, therefore, health. Our bodies are made of 70 per cent water, so it is very important that we revitalise our bodies with extremely clean and crisp bottled water with the right amount of essential minerals,” the officials said.

The desire of the company, they said, was to be one step ahead in terms of quality, “Which we have done through teamwork and thorough research”.

Exhaustive treatment of water

The officials explained that the water was processed through a series of filtration and physical purification treatments such as Ultra Filtration and that once it had been purified to meet the required standards, minerals were added to meet the Ghanaian population’s taste expectations and essential nutrients.

A spokesperson of the company said Bel Aqua was alkaline-based water balanced with the right amounts of minerals and nutrients that are essential for the body, considering the requirements of the human bloodstream.

“Bel Aqua has developed an outstanding expertise in bottled water. This expertise extends from quality preservation to knowledge on its health benefits to making different formats available that respond to the different hydration needs of consumers,” he assured.

Guarantee of highest standards

The spokesperson said throughout the production chain, every step was checked by a number of tests to guarantee that the water conformed to the highest standards before it was sold to consumers.

“Our production plant has its own laboratory, which allows our qualified laboratory experts to carry out rigorous tests regularly,” he said.

With this innovation, he said, he would require the support of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and Ghana Standards Board (GSA) to benchmark the new standards throughout the bottled water industry in Ghana.

The spokesperson assured the public that even though investment in the new technology had come to the company at a great cost, the investment was part of the company’s efforts ensure that Bel Aqua bottled water had been developed with great spirit and devotion to attain the best of quality water for the Ghanaian and international market.

Competition in industry 

The spokesperson said the company was aware of the competition in the bottled water industry but stated that there was room in the expanding Ghanaian economy for more businesses to create wealth and jobs.

“We have recently received inquiries from well-known chain of stores in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and United Kingdom (UK),” he said.

According to the spokesperson, the company currently has an employee base of about 300 people, and that more people would be recruited to support the economy.   

Writer’s email: victor.kwawukume@graphic.com.gh