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The history of Coca-Cola started in 1886 when the interest of Dr. John S. Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, led him to develop a distinctive flavored soft drink that could be sold at soda fountains. He made a sweet syrup, brought it to the pharmacy in his neighborhood, where it was combined with carbonated water and deemed “excellent” by those who sampled. Dr. Pemberton’s wife and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, is credited with calling the “Coca-Cola” product as well as creating the unique, trademarked script that is still used today.Before his death in 1888, just two years after producing what would become the world’s #1 sparkling beverage, Dr. Pemberton sold parts of his company to different parties, with the bulk of the interest being sold to Asa G. Candler, an Atlanta businessman. Under Mr. Candler’s leadership, Coca-Cola distribution spread beyond Atlanta to soda fountains. Impressed by the increasing demand for Coca- Cola and the ability to make the drink portable, Joseph Biedenharn installed bottling equipment at the rear of his Mississippi soda fountain in 1894, becoming the first to place Coca-Cola in bottles. Large- scale bottling was made possible just five years later when Tennessee obtained exclusive rights to bottle and distribute Coca-Cola in 1899, three enterprising business people in Chattanooga. The three businessmen bought Asa Candler’s bottling rights for a mere $1. Benjamin Thomas, Joseph Whitehead, and John Lupton created what became the bottling system for Coca-Cola worldwide.Among the biggest obstacles for early bottlers were competitor imitations of the product coupled with a lack of quality in the packaging among the 1,000 bottling plants at the time. The bottlers decided that a regular and distinctive bottle was required for a distinctive beverage, and the bottlers accepted the unique contour bottle in 1916. The new Coca-Cola bottle was so iconic it was visible in the dark, and it effectively separated the company from the competition. Trademarked in 1977 was the contoured Coca-Cola bottle. Over the years, artists around the globe have been influenced by the Coca-Cola bottle – a collection of which can be seen at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta.1
University of Sharjah MBA – Managing OperationsThe Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the largest beverage company in the world, refreshing customers with over 500 sparkling and still brands and almost 3,900 drink options. Driven by Coca- Cola, one of the most popular and recognized brands in the world, the portfolio of its business includes 21 billion-dollar brands, 19 of which are available in small, small, or no-calorie varieties. The following brands are Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, Vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Del Valle, Georgia, and Gold Peak. The Coca-Cola Company is the No. 1 distributor of both sparkling and still drinks through the world’s largest beverage distribution network. Consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy more than 1.9 billion servings of The Coca-Cola Company’s beverages every day.Visitors to Atlanta’s Coca-Cola World have the chance to sample more than 100 Coca-Cola drinks from around the world. Guests can also try their hand at “inventing” new beverages using the Coca-Cola Freestyle® fountain dispenser to combine flavors. The touch-screen computer has the potential to dispense various flavor combinations of over 100 standard and low-calorie beverage brands.Near all tourists arrive by car or bus at the Coca-Cola World. Car parking is arranged in four areas and has a total capacity of 520. Separate spaces in the area close to the main exhibition could hold 30 coaches. Records indicated that 22 pre-booked coaches and about 330 cars arrive in the Coca-Cola World on a typical weekday. There are usually about 28 visitors per coach and two by car. The average stay time of Coca-Cola World visitors is three hours.The group booking system allows organizers to determine the time of arrival for their party, and pay a deposit of $18. In any single party, the maximum size is set at 60 individuals. Coca-Cola World train schedules to place the arrival of groups at regular times during the day. Due to the difficulty of calculating the duration of journeys on the route, coaches often arrive late and miss their agreed times. This contributes to visitor queues at the entrance to the show during busy times.The total number of visitors during school terms in a typical week is: Monday – Friday 60 percent (spread across the five working days) Saturday 40 percentSunday N/A2
University of Sharjah MBA – Managing OperationsEntry into the lobby itself is through double doors. Here a ticket collector station monitoring the number of visitors who enter. On average, 15–20 (almost 17.5) visitors are allowed in every two minutes in a busy time.The first component of the tour is The Loft, home to a combination of almost 200 local and foreign pieces reflecting over 125 years of Coca-Cola memories. The Loft can accommodate up to 50 guests. A visitor stays there, on average, for 12 minutes.The next stop is The Vault of the Secret Formula. It has seating for 12 and the standing space surrounding it. At peak times, this room can hold as many as 20 people. Before the doors shut, there is an interactive four-minute presentation describing Coca-Cola’s early days, using taped voices and three static, illuminated scenes. It takes an average of about five minutes to fill and empty The Vault of the Secret Formula room. Visitors may either come from The Loft or from the Bottle Works room to The Vault of the Secret Formula.The Bottle Works is situated behind The Vault of the Secret Formula. The tour consists of a three- station route. There is a video room at the first stop, with 35 seats. Visitors in this room watch a short video that shows the factory. After one-and-a-half-minute halt, the guide takes the visitors to the next stop. They typically pass the preceding group on the way back from the second stop. This caused some confusion and delay as the groups went through a narrow passageway. The delay takes half a minute, on average. The tour’s Bottle Works section is typically completed in about eight minutes, except the setup time.Then there’s the Coca-Cola store, which sells a broad range of Coca-Cola products. The bulk of the items are on sale at self-service. Four checkouts are operating. Observations indicate that, on average, one client can be served every 12 seconds during busy times.Visitors arrive at the Coca-Cola restaurant just after the store. There is a single entrance to the restaurant, and it is self-service with five serving points grouped in a line. The labels of the four serving points are: ‘Sweets,’ ‘Burgers,’ ‘Mediterranean’ and ‘Chef’s Choice.’ The fifth is a point widely used to serve coke. The food selection set could not be seen from the restaurant entry. Visitors enter, observe the different serving points and then decide on the type of food and so decide which queue to join. This takes a bit of time, particularly in the case of some older people and families. The success of the adjacent serving points ‘Burgers,’ ‘Chef’s Choice,’ and ‘Coke’ results in extreme congestion during busy3
University of Sharjah MBA – Managing Operations hours. Payment shall be taken separately at each point of sale. Customers join the seating area with their options. The seating area is a spacious, airy space offering a relaxing atmosphere. Sixty tables of various sizes come with 200 coverings. On average, people stay in the restaurant for 30 minutes. Tables are ready and washed promptly. Most Coca-Cola World guests enter the restaurant.