Starting a packaged drinking water business is one of the most lucrative business opportunities in India. The market is growing, and people are looking for bottled drinking water more than ever before. However, your long-term business success ultimately depends on one important first decision, the right package of drinking water plant and machinery.

Choosing a package drinking water plant is not a ‘one size fits all’ activity. What is the right choice for you depends on your budget, production targets and future vision for your business. Making the right decision at the beginning will save you a lot of time, avoid some mistakes and should be the basis for making sure your business is profitable. This will enable you to understand the main things to think about when investing in this important equipment. 

1. Define Your Production Capacity and Scale

One of the first questions you want to be thinking about is: how much water do you want to produce? Certainly, it will be the capacity of your plant (Litre Per Hour – LPH) that would dictate the size and the cost of your equipment. 

• Small Scale (e.g. 500 – 2000 LPH): small-scale capacity would be appropriate for startup entrepreneurs, local suppliers or companies targeting one community. This would be to produce standard 500ml and 1-litre bottles. 
• Medium to Large Scale (3000 – 10000+ LPH): A medium or large capacity would be appropriate for established brands that wish to grow, service expanded distribution, or create larger pallets of many different sizes of bottles, including 20-litre jars. 

Whatever production goals you want to accomplish, timing should be considered with developing your business plans and establishing your target market. Even starting with the right capacity is also very important, being able to meet demand, without overbuilding your equipment to volumes you may not need at this time.

2. Evaluate Your Water Source and Treatment Technology

Ultimately, the quality of your product will be driven by your water source and treatment procedure.

• Testing of raw water: Your first task will be to find an independent source quality testing facility you trust to examine the water source you are looking to use, either a bore well, municipal, etc. The quality of the water source will be determined by the levels of TDS in the overall quality and the contaminants of concern in your water source, which will lead to the water treatment process you will implement.
• Quality of water treatment systems: Your water treatment systems will support your facility. Having quality RO systems and sanitisers, like UV and/or Ozone, will be essential to producing pure and safe water that meets standards. The more quality equipment you purchase from reputable manufacturers, the lower the maintenance and consistent the high-quality outcomes year after year.

3. Choose the Right Level of Automation

The degree of automation in your plant affects your operating efficiency, labour expense, and production speed. There are three primary types:

• Manual Plants: Require significant manual labour to perform processes like bottling, capping, and labelling. These plants provide the lowest cost to start, but in the longer term, carry higher labour costs.
• Semi-Automatic Plants: Provide a moderate level of automation, fully automating key processes (e.g., filling and capping while other processes are done manually). This is a very common choice for many startups.
• Fully Automatic Plants: These are fully coordinated end-to-end production systems that require a minimum of human involvement. Fully automatic plants provide the fastest and most efficient production; fully automatic plants are setting the standard for large-scale production.

4. Plan for Regulatory Compliance (BIS & FSSAI)

The packaged drinking water business segment in India is an industry regulated for public health and safety standards, compliance is compulsory from day one to run a bottled water manufacturing facility. 

• You will need to apply for a Bureau of Indian Standards (IS 14543) mark (more commonly known as the ISI mark) so your consumers are confident they are receiving a safe and physico-chemically acceptable product to drink. 
• Furthermore, as you are in the food/drink sector, you will require a license from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as well. 

The compliance and licensing practices can appear overwhelming, an experienced supplier will help to guide you seamlessly through this process and will ensure that your layout, equipment and processes will be compliant.

5. Consider After-Sales Service and Support

Your relationship to your manufacturer should not end with the installation. A bottling plant is a long-term investment, and the technical support or service of the manufacturer should continue. When selecting your plant supplier, be sure to ask about after-sales support, including:

• Installation and commissioning
• Training for operators
• Service and parts availability
• Technical support and ongoing maintenance

A plant supplier offering this level of after-sales support is a true partner in your success.

Conclusion

Selecting the appropriate packaged drinking water plant will often depend on figuring out the delicate balancing act of capacity, technology, budget, and regulation. For most entrepreneurs, the easiest and simplest option is to work with a single provider and a turnkey solution like Bottling India. 

We are selling you a turnkey plant, not just a piece of machinery. Our services extend beyond just selling you a machine. We will help you develop a business plan, design your plant layout, make sure they’re all compliant with the regulations, install and set up the machinery, and walk you through the entire BIS and FSSAI certification process. This way, you can focus on what you do best – building a brand and growing your business.