[Report] Flawless 'Meticulous Inspection'... Korean Gut Health Guardians 'Will Brothers' Process

Production Site of the New Product 'Will Jak-yak' at hy Cheonan Factory
Automated System Produces 100,000 Units Daily
Achievements in Will's Entry into China... Leading the Way in Overseas Exports

A factory located in Cheonan, Chungnam Province. Amid the noisy machines, 'Will Jak-yak' is continuously being produced. Ninety-six workers are closely monitoring the production process of the new product ambitiously launched by the fermented milk brand 'Helicobacter Project Will' (hereafter Will), which has maintained steady popularity for 25 years. Although automated systems and AI-equipped cameras meticulously detect defective products, this is to prevent any possible abnormalities.

On the 5th, I visited hy's Cheonan factory. Will's new product 'Will Jak-yak' is busily passing along the rail. Photo by Han Ye-ju

The Cheonan factory of hy (formerly Korea Yakult) is the core base where the company's best-selling products are born. Situated on a site of over 10,000 pyeong, this facility produces a total of 12 products. From container manufacturing to all processes that create the nutrition and taste of beverages, including the Will series featuring the new product 'Will Jak-yak,' liver health functional food 'Coopers,' and gut health functional food 'MPRO,' everything is done in one place. As a result, the factory uses an average of 70 tons of raw milk and consumes 15 tons of plastic resin daily.

Although the number of products has increased with the new release, there is no strain thanks to reinforced equipment. This year alone, the Cheonan factory has added 11 culture tanks and combination tanks twice to support 'Will Jak-yak' and Will's overseas exports, operating a total of 90 tanks. With expanded capacity, 'Will Jak-yak' has been stably produced at 150,000 units daily during its first week of release last week and 100,000 units daily from this week onward.

All hy products made at the Cheonan factory are created after multiple inspections for defects by both machines and humans. Photo by Hanyeju

The main product of the Cheonan factory is undoubtedly Will. An average of 700,000 units are produced daily and delivered to hy Fresh Managers, known as 'Yakult Ladies,' nationwide. Selling steadily at 200 million units annually, it is the company's top-performing product, accounting for about one-quarter of total sales.

There are a total of 10 machines dedicated to producing Will's trademark square containers. This equipment produces 10 containers every 7.65 seconds, manufacturing 4,700 containers per hour. It can produce up to 1.1 million containers daily. The average tenure of workers is 27 years. The defect rate of containers produced by these skilled workers is remarkably low, averaging 1.5% per day.

In the raw material section for beverage processing, large tanks are densely arranged. Raw milk is rapidly sterilized at a high temperature of 133°C for 2 to 3 seconds, then cultured bacteria are added and fermented at 37°C. This completes the first stage. Next, syrup that determines the flavor is mixed in, and the product is filled into ion-washed containers, completing the final product.

The Cheonan plant expanded nine combination tanks and four blending tanks twice this year alone for 'Will Peony' and Will's overseas exports. Photo by Han Ye-ju

The most important tasks in this process are hygiene and safety. The production area, accessible only when wearing sanitary clothing, caps, and masks, is completely sealed off from dust and foreign substances. Before entering the refrigerated warehouse, the product caps are inspected for foreign materials using metal X-rays. After all processes, robots move the products to prevent human contact.

'Will Jak-yak' undergoes the same basic Will production process but, due to its 'dual formulation' characteristic, combines the production processes of Coopers and MPRO. Will has been renewed and expanded 11 times in total, but 'Will Jak-yak' is the first made with a dual formulation. Factory Manager Kang In-gu said, "Although we cannot disclose everything, we combined the basic Will process with those of other products to make it easier for consumers to enjoy. The initial response to 'Will Jak-yak' has been good, and our goal is to produce 350,000 units daily. If that happens, we hope to consider establishing an additional production line."

After the product goes through all the processes, a robot picks up 80 pieces at a time and moves them to the refrigerated warehouse. Photo by Han Yeju

The Cheonan factory also plays a leading role in Will's overseas expansion. Eight products for export are produced here. Especially, two types of Will exported to China are produced at an average of 250,000 units daily on high-production days. Although exports began last September through Chinese online malls, recent achievements include expanding offline sales by entering FamilyMart and 7-Eleven stores across China. Will has also entered the U.S. market by supplying products to 'H Mart,' the largest Asian market chain in North America, and is expanding export countries to Southeast Asian markets such as Taiwan and Thailand.

In 2000, when Will was first created, Kang, who joined the Cheonan factory as a new employee and became factory manager last year, showed a special determination for exports. Kang said, "When Will was first launched, there were many concerns on-site, such as 'Will the container be square?' Now, with expansions for overseas exports, it feels very meaningful. Although export production is not daily yet as it is still in the early stages, I hope the day will come when a dedicated export factory is established at the Cheonan factory, the starting point for going global. It would be great to develop a strategy to produce localized products for export," he emphasized.

Kang In-gu, who joined the Cheonan plant of hy in 2000 as a new employee and became the plant manager last year. Photo by Han Ye-ju