Dabbawallas: Simply Complex

Executive Summary The Mumbai Dabbawallas operation .is widely recognized as an outstanding example of excellence in Logistics. It is often quoted as a standard example of six sigma implementation in the Indian context Because of its popularity Prince Charles of the United Kingdom paid a visit to the operations site during his official visit to India in 2003. In this project we study in detail the nature and content of this system, critically examine its salient features and analyze the possibility of extending the system to similar or related domains. The central theme of this project is to present a detailed analysis of Mumbai Dabbawallas Operations from a management perspective. Dabbawallas is a home grown model, conceived, developed and perfected by a group of individuals who have very little or no formal education in the area of Logistics. Dabbawallas is operated by a group of 5000 individualsorganized in the form of a cooperative, delivering everyday 150,000 lunch boxes from home to customer locations in Mumbai with negligible error rate. Dabbawallas is recognized as an outstanding example of excellence in service delivery. Dabbawallas is the most talked about Indian example of excellence in logistics Several academic institutions routinely invite the Mumbai Dabbawalla representatives to make formal presentations in their campus to complement and enhance their academic content of their respective programmes. Often, senior management meetings find it useful to have a presentation on Dabbawallas to illustrate the applicability of six sigma in Indian context and inspire managers to adopt and practice world class systems. The popular business press has been publishing material on Dabbawallas from time to time. The Forbes journal had an article on Dabbawallas. Recently the Alliance Air Official In-flight Magazine had an article on Dabbawallas. Top ranking management schools have documented Dabbawallas as case material for teaching purposes. Prince Charles of United Kingdom, as a mark of appreciation visited the Mumbai Dabbawallas' work location during his visit to Mumbai in 2003

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex The purpose of this project is to present the details of Dabbawallas and explore the distinguishing features of it from other world class systems. The secondary purpose is to conceptualize the broad management principles (in Dabbawallas) which may have universal application. In this Project, I am trying to provide a detailed analysis of the content, context, and decisions made by Mumbai Dabbawallas' in managing Dabbawallas effectively. I am trying to provide a balanced perspective on Dabbawallas features. As a consequence of this discussion, I hope academicians; managers and students would not only develop a perspective on Dabbawallas, but also see the essentials of the system and its inherent potential and limitations in its replication to other contexts. The project is organized in three sections. In the first section, the standard operating procedures, basic statistics and information on Dabbawallas is presented. The first section details the logic, the distinguishing features of Dabbawallas and its growth options. The second section summarizes some of the best management practices in Dabbawallas and draws some meaningful insights in managing such a large service model. And the third section provides the annexure and Bibliography

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

This is a story of a conventional Indian system of management that is today a favourite case study among management institutions for a simple reason that it doesnt use any technology and yet outperforms most organizations in operating efficiency. To the extent that bit received a six-sigma rating from Forbes international. Its history dates back to 1980. MUMBAI, The city of dreams and ambitions. The city of explorers and wildcatters. The city that had always been on the fast track. Here, success happens purely on merit. TheBritish had developed the basic infrastructure of roads, railways and buildings for Bombay. At that time, the prime business centres were fort and Ballard pier areas. These were the houses of banks, government departments, insurance houses, shipping companies and other industrial head offices. Soon, the residential colonies move away from fort and hence, a lot of Parsis, Christians and Europeans started finding it difficult to go home for their lunch from work. Carrying lunch boxes was also not a preferred routine for them since they didnt like having cold meals. In 1980, a Parsi banker working in Ballad Pier employed a young man who came down from Poona district to fetch his lunch everyday. Business picked up through referrals and soon our pioneer dabba -carrying entrepreneur had to call for more helping hands from his village. This reinforcement led to the unleashing of an army that even today, in the 21st century, serves millions of Mumbaites with the same spirit and competence. Such was the origin of the dabbawalla. This Tiffin carrier guy picks up the lunch box in the morning and delivers it on time to the place of work, wherever in Mumbai that is, and delivers it back to the residence at a very economical price. However trivial the task may sound nevertheless, it is of vital importance since havoc is caused if the client has to skip his home cooked food or worse, carry the Tiffin in the ever so crowded Mumbai local trains and that too during the Rush Hour! 4500 dabbawallas across Mumbai coordinate with each other for picking up and delivering the tiffins for over 1,75,000 mumbaites everyday in a 3 hour period, through60 kms of public transport. In fact, the modes of transportsimply include the

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex local trains, bicycles and hand carts. Of course, It is rare that a Tiffin may miss being on its owners lunch table at the lunch hour The organization is really a marvel because it achieves a high level of efficiency and performance without any documentation, without computers and without an educational work force. Yet they are the ultimate practitioners of logistic management. They have been practicing hub and spoke system, just-in-time tactics, no inventory policy and supply chain management principles even before these terms were even coined! ! ! Leaving thefts apart, these dabbawallas make a mistake only one every two months. I.e. one error in every 8 million deliveries, making it one of a kind Six Sigma supply chainin India. The six sigma principle was devised by Motorola for rating operational efficiency in terms of the number of errors that occur in a series of transactions or activities. In case of dabbawallas, one error occurs in every 6 million transactions!! This puts it at par with the likes of Motorola and G.E. such efficiency is marveled by various organizations and institutions across the globe. Most organizations and enterprise would only aspire to be at this level of efficiency that the dabbawallas operate on The organization works on a Work is Worship philosophy, which is the traditionalIndian practice. They respect food and therefore, there is no misuse of food, timely delivery is important because it is an individuals basic need for food at that time. The dabbawallas have never gone on a strike since they went into business! Thus, for all of the above reasons, the community of businessmen, workers, employees and students know the dabbawallas as their fuel suppliers. As it is popularly said in Mumbai, If the local train is the lifeline of the city then the dabbawallas are the food line. But there are a lot of aspects that need to be known about the dabbawallas, in order to find out why they are so important as a case study in management schools and as a unique traditional system of Indian management which has to be given its due recognition. Therefore, let us now take upon each of these aspects of this process.

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex CHAPTER 2 HISTORY OF THE DABBAWALLAS The dabbawalla service had begun informally in Mumbai. According to Raghunath Medge: A Parsi banker working in Ballad Pier employed a young man who came down from Poona district to fetch his lunch everyday. Business picked up through referrals and soon our pioneer dabba-carrying entrepreneur had to call for more helping hands from his village. Such was the origin of dabbawallas. However trivial the task may sound it is of vital importance since havoc is caused if the client has to skip his home-cooked meal or worse, carry his on dabba in theever so crowded Mumbai trains during the rush hour. By the early 20th century, people from all part of India were migrating to Mumbai in large numbers. Once they found a source of livelihood and settled down they wanted home cooked food at their workplace. Home-cooked food had a comfort level for various reasons. First, the food was cooked in the ambience of a domestic kitchen, with recipes that were tried and tested, and that resulted in familiar fare. Second, home-cooked food was comparatively inexpensive. The dabbawallas were initially charging two annas per dabba for their delivery service. Working independently and in small group for decades, the dabbawallas had united in 1954 to put together a rudimentary co-operative. This umbrella organization was officially registered in 1956 as a charitable trust under the name Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust. At that time, some of the dabbawallas employed delivery boys to carry their dabbas and transport them along the routes on bicycles and push carts. These dabbawallas would collect the fees from their clients and pay the delivery boys whatever they could negotiate with them. This changed in 1983 when the trust adopted anowner-partner system. Under this new system, the practice of subcontracting was dispensed with and dabbawallas started to receive equal earnings. The delivery boys system was converting into an apprenticeship system wherein new recruits were trained for at least two to three years on a fixed remuneration before they became full time dabbawallas. By 2003, more than 5,000

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex dabbawallas worked under aegis of the trust. Together they delivered about 175,000 lunched daily in Mumbai. They served a total area that covered approximately Rs 380 million per annum. Given the two way route for each dabba, the number of deliveries worked out to more than 350,000 per day. Despite the sheer number of daily deliveries, the failure rate reported by the media numbered one in two months, or one in every 15 million deliveries

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex CHAPTER 3 THE NUTAN MUMBAI TIFFIN BOX SUPPLIERS CHARITY TRUST

The Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association is a streamlined 120-year-old organization with 4,500 semi-literate members providing a quality door-to-door service to a large and loyal customer base.The Trust was responsible for managing the overall meal delivery system. it worked in close co-ordination with the Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association, a forum that provided opportunities for social interactions among the dabbawallas and the Dakkhan Mavle Sahakari Patpedhi, a credit union that catered to the financial needs of individual dabbawallas by providing personal loans. Given its charitable trust status, the Trust was also involved in community initiatives by providing free food and accommodation to lowincome families at some pilgrimages centers. The Trust had a three-tier structure Executive Committee, Mukadams and dabbawallas. Under this structure, the basic operating unit was the team. Each team, which comprised between five and eight dabbawallas, was headed by a Mukadam. Having risen from the ranks of the dabbawallas, a Mukadams primary daily responsibility involved the sorting of the dabbas. However as team leader the Mukadam performed several administrative tasks that included maintaining records of client payments, arbitrating disputes between dabbawallas and customers, and apprentice training. The Mukadam was also in charge of acquiring new clients for the team and managing customer satisfaction. New customers purchased their dabbas

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex from the dabbawallas when service was commenced. Dabbas Mwere typically replaced at cost to the customer once every two years. Seven to eight Mukadams aggregated their efforts and constituted a profit centre, eachprofit centre was referred to as a group. There were about 120 groups in total. While each group was managed autonomously, its members stepped in withouthesitation to help other groups in dealing with emergencies such as dabbawalla absenteeism. Monthly group maintenance costs totalled Rs.35000/, covering the maintenance of the bicycles, push carts and wooden boxes the dabbawallas used in their daily deliveries. The 13 members of the Executive Committee, which was elected by the general body every 5 years, coordinated the activities of the various work groups. The Committee, which undertook all major decisions for the trust and worked on the principles specified in the Cooperative Societies Act, met on the 15th of each month. Operational issues typically dominated each meetings agenda. Examples of such issues included disputes with the Mumbai city railways over dabbawallas not carrying their monthl passes or the ID issued to them by the Trust, and with the city police when dabbawallas parked their push carts or bicycles where parking was not permitted. Annually there were few reports of lost or stolen dabbas. In such instances clients were reimbursed by the individual dabbawallas or given a free dabba.

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex CHAPTER 4 WHO IS THE DABBAWALLA?

The dabbawallas were a homogenous group in many ways. Its members, traditionally male, hailed from the same geographical region known as Mavla located east of the Sahyadri near Pune, and they spoke the same language (Marathi). They shared similar customs and traditions, such as gathering together for a week every April for a festival in their hometown. They wore the same dress, a loose white dhoti shirt, cotton pyjamas and their trademark white oval cap All of these combined to form a distinct local identity for the dabbawallas. They were easily recognized even in the busiest of locations. Pedestrians and commuters yielded to the dabbawallas in order not to interfere with their service delivery. Seemingly always in a rush the dabbawallas were known for their reliability and work ethic. They ascribed to the traditional Indian belief that work is workshop. Averaging 55 years in age, dabbawallas were typically lean, active and physically fit. While the minimum level of education was Grade 7 most never got past Grade 8 schooling. Each dabbawalla earned a monthly income between Rs.5000 and 6000. Out of this income each dabbawalla was responsible for paying: Rs.120 for monthly railway pass that allowed them unlimited access to Mumbais railways. Rs.60 for the maintenance of the bicycle or the push cart and The compulsory monthly contribution of Rs.15 to the Trust.

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex

It is a good earning for a semi-literate by Indian standards, observed Medge. "Farming earns a pittance, compelling us to move to the city. And the Tiffin service is a business of repute since we are not working under anyone. It's our own business, we are partners, it confers a higher status in society," says Sambhaji, another dabbawala. "We earn more than many padha-likha (educated) graduates," says Khengle. Each new recruit would undergo an apprenticeship for 2 years and a fixed remuneration of Rs.2000 per month. Each apprentice was then required to purchase a delivery route Mbefore being admitted as a dabbawalla. The price was the route was fixed as a ratio for the average monthly earnings of the group at 1:7. For instance, most groups monthly earnings were approximately Rs.1, 40,000, so the apprentice was expected to deposit Rs.20, 000 for a delivery route. This money went to the Shared Capital of the Trust and would be returned to the dabbawalla upon retirement. Once admitted, the dabbawalla was guaranteed a monthly income and a job for life. INTRODUCTION OF A NEW MEMBER: The village address and other details are taken and then the membership to the association and bank is granted. Two guarantors from the group are required. Usually, they are the senior members of the group. The new member is paid a fixed amount of Rs. 2000 for the first 6-7 months till he is completely trained for handling his own business. (These people are from thevillages and therefore take considerable time in adjusting to the city life andsystems). Lastly, when joining the group, the new comer has to contribute to the capital of the association in a 1:7 ratio of the group's average monthly earnings. That means that the new entrant must contribute Rs.5000 as capital if his group's-average monthly earnings are Rs.35000. There is a belief in religious neutrality and therefore, people of all castes are

10

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex welcome to join, nevertheless, most of the dabbawallas still remain Maharashtrians and a small proportion is Rajasthanis. WOMAN IN BUSINESS Working shoulder to shoulder with the men are the female folk, affectionately called "Moushi". If woman can work as engine drivers, bus drivers or as senior executives in the corporate world, there is nothing that can stop them from working in this profession too. Although there are just two women compared to male dabbawallas numbering around 4,500 they are for certain. One of these women works with her husband in this profession and then at the end of the day also carries out the household chores. With such a hard life for twenty years, she feels pride to own her own house. The other member carries 18 tiffins everyday!! Her husband had returned to the village after succumbing to hardships of Mumbai life. But she went on in this city and is now earning her livelihood owing to this profession. Thus, the dabbawalla association ensures that woman too get their equal right for contributing to their familys or individual incomes. The quintessential aspect of this organization is that nobody is an employer and none are employees. Each dabbawalla is a businessman by himself and they all are partners. The association just facilitates the coordination among these small groups. This is also acharacteristic of logistical operations where co-ordination among various factors of production and operation is of prime importance. The annual turnover of this business is Rs. 50 Crores!! Woman in business Mrs. Bhikhubai of Kandivali Mrs. Anandibai of Borivali Mrs. Parvatabai of Karale (Ghatkopar) Mrs. Laxmibai Bagade of Santa Cruz

CHAPTER 5

11

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex ORGANIZATION In 1890, when the dabbawallas actually began their services, there was no umbrella organization then. The fist attempt to unionize was made by Mahadev bacche in 1930. The carriers started collecting one Anna each per month and the funds were used to build an inn at Bhumashankar, Maharashtra. A charitable trust was registered in 1956 under the name of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust. Today every carrier contributes Rs.15 per month towards the Trust. The commercial arm of this trust was registered later in 1968 as Mumbai Tiffin Box Carriers Association. Just like old times, recruitment is essentially done through word of mouth and from neighbouring towns and villages inwestern Maharashtra including Junnar, Ambegaon, Khed, Maval, Mulshi, Akola, Rajguru nagar, etc. The recruitment policy is such that even before a new recruit leaves his hometown for Mumbai, his area of operation and remuneration are decided. The whole system operates as a loose cooperative, and with customer satisfaction levels so high, theres little need for a rigid operating structure. The essence lies in its simplicity. The Nutan trust is the apex body representing the dabbawallas. It is trim hierarchy with three tiers THE GOVERNING COUNCIL THE DABBAWALLAS THEMSELVES THE MUKKADAMS OR TEAM LEADERS

REMAINIG TREE DIAGRAM THE GOVERNING COUNCIL The Governing Council is a 13 member body, for which elections are held once every 5 years. The committee works on the guidelines of the Cooperatives Societies Act. With Mr. Raghunath D. Medge as the president, the committee includes the vice president, General Secretary, Treasurer and 9 Directors. The president of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust and Association

12

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex heads the association followed by the Vice President, both of them are responsible for taking monthly meetings, checking bank accounts and solving problems of the members. This is followed by the General Secretary who looks into the daily matters of the Association like drafting letters, Making Vouchers, Collecting Rs. 15 as a fee of the Trust etc. then the treasurer who looks into the accounts of the Trust. The 9 directors in all help the president in decision-making and also the smooth functioning of the Trust . There are no internal disputes that can lead to unrest in the organization. This great coordination enables great work efficiency and simpler decision making. A simple reason why the organization can sustain with its trim structure is because each dabbawalla is an individual businessman. THE MUKADAMS A Mukadam is the team leader for a group of 25-30 group members. Although his key responsibility is sorting the tiffins, he plays a crucial role in settling disputes, maintaining records of payments and receipts of members of his group and getting new clientele. Another Key function of a Mukadam is to ensure consumer satisfaction. He is generally chosen as the leader on the basis of his experience and skill. THE DABBAWALLAS Each dabbawala is a businessman himself. Therefore, each one has to find out his own way to maximize a sustainable business. The system has adopted the Strategic Business Units (SBU) concept way before it was even introduced by Peter Drucker. The entire system is highly decentralized The dabbawallas operate in groups of roughly 15-25 members each carrying around 30-35 tiffins. However there are dabbawallas that operate individually too. Around 120 groups registered. All groups are independent of each other as far as money matters are concerned. Each group is responsible to generate money for all its needs and day to day functioning. The rationale of developing such a system is to improve thecompetitiveness of the system. This system has adopted the Strategic

13

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Business Unit (SBU) concept, way before it was introduced by Peter Drucker. In the associations code or ethics, no dabbawalla is allowed to undercut or outsmart the other. However groups can coordinate among themselves to get new clients. This is the uniqueness of this competitive collaboration. There is unity at the delivery end, which leads to perfect cutting-edge performance by each dabbawalla. Some groups also have this understanding that when any one of the members gets a new Tiffin business, he treats the others on that day. This is an informal gestureof course and there is no compulsion. Another remarkable advantage of this group system is that there is a backup system for absentees. If any member abstains from duty on a certain day, another member will always be there to collect and deliver the tiffins on the absentees behalf. We work like a cricket team; if any of the members gets injured we have a substitute for him. Like any team we have a substitute player in our group says Raghunath Medge. As far as social activities are concerned, each group of the individual systems contributes Rs. 50 per member for the yearly pooja that is held in their area. Each group is financially self-sufficient. Each group pools in the collections, distributes and equally shares the monthly spoils amounting to Rs. 5000 to Rs. 6000 per person. E.g. If there is a group of 10 members with varying individual monthly incomes that range from 3000 to 7000 adding upto a total of 40000, then the collections are pooled together and then divided equally among all members. Thus, each member will eventually get Rs. 4000 per month in that group. Out of these, Rs. 15 per person goes towards the mandal as welfare fund of the trust.

CHAPTER 6

14

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex RULES AND POLICIES An important feature of the dabbawallas service is customer satisfaction. (Also, the ultimate objective of any logistical operation) Keeping in line with this objective, all problems are usually resolved by the Association's officials. Like, in cases of theft or loss of a Tiffin-box, if any carrier is found guilty then thclient is allowed to deduct the costs from the dabbawalla's charges for thesubsequent month. If a client receives improper services by any dabbawalla, for which a complaint has been made to the association; that particular dabbawala will be directed to end his services with that client and another dabbawala will be allotted to the client. In this manner, no future disputes between that client and the dabbawalla will arise and with the allocation of another dabbawala in his place, the client will also receive continuous and efficient service. Thus leading to greater customer satisfaction, The association also has the responsibility of handling all the internal disputes. Apart from discouraging undercutting between two dabbawallas, the association has to handle all kinds of disputes arising between two dabbawallas. For this reason, the association charges Rs. 100-200/- before looking into the complaint. This is done to ensure that the officials time is not wasted on any petty disputes. A meeting is convened on the 15th of every month at the Dadar office where all the committee members assemble and all complaints and disputes arc heard and resolved. The dabbawallas are not supposed to take any major decisions and are not supposed to claim any amount arising out of a dispute until the actual dispute matter is brought forward in front of everyone during the monthly meet. Each Tiffin carrier has to pay Rs. 15 to the union every month. This money accumulates and helps as aid in celebrating and funding their festival at various locations in Maharashtra. This is a social activity of the association since the dabbawallas get proper accommodation whenever they go to these places.(Unfortunately, there are a lot of Dabbawallas

15

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex who dont pay this contribution at all.) In the associations code of ethics, no dabbawala is allowed to undercut another. As far as possible, coordination among groups is encouraged so that undercutting doesnt lead to disputes. The whole dabbawallas union takes a one week break every year in the month of March when they all go to Ambegaon for their annual village festival. This is called the Bhairavnath Maharaj Utsav'. This is a welcome break from the hectic day-to-day routine that the dabbawallas follow. All customers are informed much in advance about this period when the dabbawallas will collectively remain absent from duty. This is the individual dabbawala's responsibility to communicate with the clients and in order to authenticate the reason for the leave; the association also circulates notices for customers along with each carrier. Wearing the traditional white cap is very important. It is the only integral symbol of the dabbawala. If a dabbawala is caught not wearing the cap. He will be fined Rs.30 when spotted by the officials. Each dabbawalla is allowed to carry a maximum of 35 Tiffin boxes. If the number is more than 35, then the excess tiffins need to be carried by another carrier. In the long historical relationship with Mumbai city, the dabbawallas have onemajor unattended demand. The union has constantly requested the Railways to reserve one goods compartment for them during peak hours but they have not been adhered to. Bu tit is an unwritten rule that people are not to load the particular goods compartment occupied by dabbawallas for their goods. Meaning between 10:00 and 11:30 am and 15:00 to 16:30 hours commuters are generallyare not supposed to board the goods compartment occupied by the dabbawallas. In fact, until the 1970s, the particular compartment read something like this Reserved for Tiffin carriers. But with growing number of commuters and more and more demand for better service and space, this reservation has been discontinued.

16

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Every dabbawala has to handle his own expenses. Handcart and Bicycle maintenance. Railway pass, luggage pass and all other contributions and fees. They can also opt for the loan from the Union at around 5% p.a. which is lower than market rate of in interest. The union also runs a small co-operative bank in order to help the dabbawallas and the community as a whole. The dabbawallas belong to a large community and hence, it is a part of the associations social commitment to help achieve the upliftment of the community.

CHATTER 7

17

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex SAFETY AND WELFARE

Risky Affair!! There is no protection for the dabbawallas from the rain and scorching sun. Even the dabbas are not under any cover or protection except for what is actually givenby the customers. Raincoats do not provide adequate protection when they have to cycle around. Whereas, umbrellas are more of a hassle to carry around during their hectic activities. Thus, they are vulnerable to any illnesses during the season. As for the dabbas, it's not much of a worry because the rainwater isn't going to get into the food anyway. There is also a minute risk of the bicycles getting stolen or tiffins getting stolen or lost but it's extremely rare. Since there is no insurance for anything, what is lost is a loss incurred by the responsible dabbawala. In case the Tiffin gets stolen or lost, the respective customers of the dabbawallas are free to deduct the amount from the dabbawalla's salary. In other cases, where the incident of the loss is due to the fault of another member that leads to a dispute, that matter is then settled duringthe monthly meetings held at Dadar where the committee decides who will bear the compensation and who is to be blamed. Of course, the loss of a Tiffin is one in a million cases that leads to the achievement of six-sigma distinction. As for the bicycles, the dabbawallas usually have an understanding with the watchman or security people who take care of these cycles as the dabbawallas are away delivering. In case they do get stolen, nobody is blamed and the dabbawalla has to bear the loss completely. During the mornings the carriage would take around 40-50 tiffins. Now,

18

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex eachTiffin is filled with food and the whole carriage weighs on an average 8O kgs. This is extremely heavy for a head load! But the dabbawallas manage this as their daily routine. So much weight in the scorching heat of the day may lead to fatigue and therefore is unsafe for them but due to the physical fitness levels. It is rare for a dabbawalla to fall ill due to fatigue. But there is no welfare policy in this regard. The only welfare activity carried out by the union is the social gathering that the association carries out every year at their village festivals.

CHAPTER 8

19

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex

SYSTEM The dabbawala network operates so efficiently and punctually owing to one simple reason The Railways. The local trains of Mumbai city cover approximately 60-70 kilometres. This distance is covered by hundreds of trains that operate at a frequency of a train departing every three minutes. This feature of the local trains leads to over 90% theCity's population depending upon this mode of transport. A local train is rarely ever delayed in its journey, thus, it enables millions of commuters to be punctual in reaching their offices and homes everyday and in all conditions, and this is the main reason why the dabbawallas actually operate in this city and not any other. In order to deliver over 1,75,000 tiffins everyday, the dabbawallas can rely only on this mode of transport, Aperson can reach from one end of the city (Mira Road) to the other end (Churchgate) in just under an hour and a half! Thus, it is rightly said that if the dabbawallas are the foodline of the city of Mumbai, then the loca trains are the lifelines of the city. The entire dabbawala system works on a military discipline based on a shared agenda and a common protocol. The workforce is not even basically educated and there is no paperwork involved The two essences are the LOCAL TRAIN and INFORMATION, The system is information rich in nature, the coding system enables all the 'magic' with which all dabbawallas function, Again, it is Centralized planning and decentralized implementation. Now let us look at the main features of the system of the dabbawallas The dabbawalas are spread over the entire city and hence, all three lines of the local train are utilized by them, Western, Central and Harbour Lines. The main stations include Dombivili, Andheri, Dadar, Kurla, Grant Road, Churchgate and C.S.T. these are also the major sorting areas for the dabbawallas. Each station may have approximately 4-8 groups depending on the density of population and demand. E.G. there can be 15-20 groups at Churchgate and

20

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex just 5-6 groups at stations like Khar and Vile Parle. The various modes of transport that can be used by the dabbawallas in their whole network will mainly include trains, bicycles, handcarts and of course, on foot, Time is the principle factor in this system. If there is any delay of even a few minutes, the train will be missed by the dabbawallas and the system will be disrupted because of him. Hence, planning for contingency is also very important on part of the dabbawalla. Punctuality is therefore of prime Importance. Rarely has it been that the Tiffin doesn't reach the owner's desk at lunchtime. The city's geographical pattern helps. Most of Mumbai's Office-goers live in the suburbs and work downtown and there arc local trains connecting two, points - which form hubs for hub-and-spoke sub-networks. Each Tiffin is at least handled by 4-5 different dabbawallas in the entire process Let us just look at the whole system concisely to understand how the dabbawallas manage the whole job. The 5000 dabbawallas are divided into 3 sets of activities. The entire system is highly decentralized. Between 9-9:30 am , one crew of dabbawallas collects freshly packed tiffins from residences and delivers it to the nearest stations where they are sorted, at a place designated as Sorted Place on the station itself. This sorting is done as per the destination stations. The train for Churchgate or CST departs between 10:30 to 11:00 am and stops at all the stations with intermediate stop-over for the dabbawallas like Thane, Kurla, Andheri and Dadar. At these junctions, the second set of dabbawallas exchange and sort tiffins, in a speedy manner involving ZERO DOCUMENTATION. Then the 3rd set is waiting at the respective destination stations, which sorts out and assemble the respective set of tiffins and load them onto handcarts, trays, bicycles and then each carrier sets out on the final delivery. Not to mention, after all these efficiently carried out activities, a Tiffin box rarely misses the destination stomach at lunchtime.

21

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex CHAPTER 9 PRICING STRATEGY

The rationale behind the development of a group model in the business is to improve competitiveness of the system. If there are 5 groups in Andheri then each group will fight in order to acquire new customers because each group is responsible for generating its own income. Generally the service charges are between Rs. 150 to Rs 300 per month depending upon two main factors. LOCATION In some populated area such as RBI colonies or apartment complexes such as Lokhandwala complex in Andheri the charges are lower because there are lot of clients tin these areas. At one point of time there used to be 2 handcarts full of tiffins from RBI colony situated at Santacruz. This is very economical for them and hence the charges are lowers so that more and more customers can opt for the service. In either cases where the area is less populated or the demand for this service is minimum e.g. Juhu area the charges will be comparatively higher since the demand is poor and it uneconomical to travel all the way to Juhu for just one or two dabbas which give him the same amount of money. Thus they charge a higher or lower depending upon the location. TIME Sometimes the client may not be able to prepare the dabba at the tine that is convenient for the dabbawalla to pick up. In such cases the dabbawalla is forced to make an exception and hence these charges are more because he has put in extra effort to make it at that tine suitable to the client. Whereas, if the client can prepare the Tiffin at the time convenient for the dabbawallas to pick up, his charges will be

22

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex lower as it is now convenient for him and he has to put in equal effort without making any exception. Where as if the Dabbawalla covered 70km to 80km in two-and-a-half hours by train, on bicycles, dabbawalas covered much less territory. Money is collected in the first week of every month and it is remitted to the Mukadam on the first Sunday. The money thus collected, is divided among all the members of the group equally. Let us take an example here as there are 4 groups at Santacruz i.e. Red, Green, Yellow and blue. Now, if there are 15 members in the red group and the total number of customers serviced by the group is 375 and the amount thus collected is Rs. 75,000. Then this total amount would be equally divided among all the members. Now there are two aspects to this. Two questions that one might ask? If one dabbawala services 40 customers and another one services just 20 customers, then why should the first one not get the bigger share of the money? There are two reasons which were mentioned earlier as the factors of pricing: location and Time. Also, one has to consider that the dabbawala collecting 40 tiffins may have collected all from one area itself (like RBI colony) in 30 minutes. Whereas the other dabbawala collecting 20- Tiffins may have had to travel long distances covering a large area in order to collect his 20 Tiffins in over an hours time. Thus it would be unfair to him if the first dabbawala is paid a higher amount. Out of the total proceeds earned by each dabbawala, Rs. 60 per crate and Rs. 120 per month per person have to be paid to the railways to obtain the pass. Nevertheless, each dabbawala earns on an average Rs. 4000-5000. He makes a contribution of Rs.10 per month to the association for the utilization of bringing upliftment of their community. Loans are given by the association and also contributions are made to religious places during festivals such as Mahashivratri at Bhumashankar. Considering all these factors, one can say that the monthly charges that the dabbawalas take, is not at all expensive. The service delivered with the efficiency and accuracy is all worth it! Chapter 10

23

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex BUILDING A CLIENTELE The range of customers includes students (both college and school), entrepreneurs of small businesses, managers, especially bank staff, and mill workers. They generally tend to be middle-class citizens who, for reasons of economy, hygiene, caste and dietary restrictions or simply because they prefer whole-some food from their kitchen, rely on the dabbawala to deliver a home cooked mid-day meal. Their customers are middle-class citizens, who for reasons of economy, hygiene, caste and dietary restrictions or simply because they prefer wholesome foods from their own kitchens rely on the dabbawallas to deliver a home-cooked midday meal. New customers are generally acquired through referrals. Some are solicited by dabbawallas on railway platforms. Addresses are passed on to the dabbawala operating in the specific area, who then visits the customer to finalize arrangements. Today customers can also log onto the website www.webrishi.com to access the service .In its clientele, the dabbawallas have reached out to students living in hostels (again a privileged lot being nurtured by middle class parents), working women (whose maid at home cooks the lunch for the dabba the use of the term working women in Mumbai is ironically restricted to office-goers and the like and fails to consider maids as working women) and aged people (living away from the nuclear family but within the field of responsibility of the nuclear family). An interesting addition to the clientele of dabbawallas is a new set of healthconscious executives who are on health diets. One such centre uses the dabbawallas to send lunches to as many as 300 people on its diet regimen.

24

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Chapter 11 DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM DABBAWALLA MEAL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

The dabbawalla meal distribution network was characterized by a combination offer baton relay system in which dabbas were handed of between dabbawallas at various points in the delivery process and a hub and spokes system in which the sorting of dabbas was done at specificrailway locations form where individual spokes branched out for distribution. There was no local historical model on which this distribution network was designed. All design decisions were driven by the singular purpose of delivering as a dabba in time for the customers lunch. The delivery processes had largely remained unchanged since their inception even though the environments of service delivery are changed. For example, the delivery system did not relyon the use of computers. According to Medge: If we were to use computers, we would be out of business. It is not because we do not know how to use computers, but the system itself is not amenable to the use of technology in whatever form. The only major change in the dabbawallas delivery model was the fine tuning of the coding system in 1966. The number of customers using the delivery service had continued to grow, , and without some form of common identification that all dabbawallas could follow, the sorting process at the hubs was likely to become overly time consuming. Medge observed: We decided to decentralize the coding at a level of groups and each group was free to develop its own coding system based on simple and easily identifiable numbers and signs. In time, each group gradually developed its own distinctive colour code

25

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex from a spectrum of combinations of the seven primary colours serving as the first line of identification for any dabbawalla.

REVERSE CHANNEL/NETWORK DESIGN TREE DIAGRAM REMAINING Now, to better understand the sorting process; lets take the above example that is shown pictorially. Lets say at Santacruz station, there are four different groups of dabbawalla. Each of them has 20 members each and each of these dabbawalla services an average 20 customers. That makes 1600 tiffins in all. As we already understood earlier, the task for the dabbawallas to collect the Tiffins, meet at the station on the stipulated time for sorting, exchange tiffins with other dabbawallas on the way at various stations, sort them again at the destination station and dispatch the Tiffins in order to deliver them to respective offices.

ONWARD JOURNEY 8:30- 10:34 am

26

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex

The day for the dabbawallas starts at 8:30 am, with collecting the dabbas from the various houses. People usually leave the dabbas outside the door for them. In case they are late the dabbawallas have to urge them to hurry up, else if it gets late they have to leave if the clients Tiffin is not ready in time. He then picks up all the tiffins and meets the other dabbawallas at the station [The dabbawalla is forced to do so because he is bound by the train time. The departing trains time is very crucial and he must consider the time required for the sorting process. There may, on the other hand, be further delays caused by other customers too. It is extremely difficult, yet crucial to ensure that the entire pick up of all tiffins takes place as per schedule. The scheduling has to include cushion time for uncertainties such as these without which the whole system will, be disrupted] The dabbawalla picks up the Tiffin from his lot of houses in Santacruz and meets the other group members at the designated spot at the station. This particular group of 10 dabbawallas takes the 10:34 am Churchgate local train everyday. Therefore, the dabbawallas have to make sure that they reach the platform for the sorting process at least by 10:15 am in order to ensure a smooth flow of their networking throughout their daily routine, this peri od in the morning that includes picking up the Tiffins and meeting at the designated spot on the station is the most crucial part of the system. One bit delay in this aspect will disrupt the whole system and will lead to a chaotic situation. Therefore, the

27

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex dabbawallas have to collect the tiffins n time and reach the station with enough time left for the sorting to take place before the train arrives. SORTING - 10:15 10:34 am

The critical phase of the system is sorting. Sorting of all the tiffins according to their destination station and arranging them into wooden crates takes 20-25 minutes! The aim of the process is to segregate the tiffins and differentiate them as per the destination of each of them. The tiffins are then handed to different dabbawallas at the destinationstation and sorting makes it easier to identify each group of tiffins and less time consuming for the respective dabbawalla. The sorting makes the entire process error free. The process of sorting is similar to that of a post office where letters are segregated according to their destinations. Since each Tiffin exchanges many hands, each of the lids of the tiffins is marked with a colored code indicating the originating station, destinationand building with the floor number. The coding is the secret behind the efficient working of the system and thats why the network is Information rich. This is a unique feature as it requires no documentation or record keeping. There is no communication between the 2 groups, but just coordination among them because the whole blueprint is pre-decided by the dabbawallas themselves The Mukadam plays a key role here to ensure smooth working and coordination, his responsibility is to know all the tiffins his group carries. The responsibility of the Mukadam is to the extent that he has to know all the tiffins that his group carries. Therefore, he must be able to recognize these Tiffins even if the codes on them

28

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex arebarely visible. Also, if any member of the group abstains from his duty for a particularday for some reason, then it is the responsibility of the Mukadam to ensure that all the dabbas that the absentee was responsible for, are duly picked up and delivered back on time. Hence, we see that the Mukadam plays a critical role in this stage of sorting and allocating jobs The dabbas are collected, sorted out and sent to their destinations based on a numerical and alphabetical code. Every station has a numerical code and each place has an alphabetical code. The Tiffin carries the code of the source and the destination. The codes help identify Tiffin owners. Very simple system of sorting exists with this Dabbawala Network. Every Tiffin-carrier has the mark of a circle or a flower of a specific colour and a digital identity number. Take this Tiffin Mark for example-K-BO-10-19/A/15. K is the identity letter of the dabbawala. BO means Borivali i.e. the area from where the Tiffin is to be collected... The figure of 10 refers to Nariman point area. 19/A/15 refers to the 19th Building and the 15th floor in Nariman point area where the Tiffin is to be delivered.

These codes have been developed over the years and began with simple coloured threads. An employee delivers the dabbas, collected individually from homes at the railway station nearest to the house. At the station the destinations are sorted out, based on the codes, and taken by train to respective stations

29

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex

. JOURNEY TIME 10:34 to 11:20 am

The time period between 10:34 and 11:20 is the journey time for the dabbawallas. They load the wooden cart filled with tiffins into the luggage or goods compartment of the train. Generally they try to occupy the last compartment as this helps them to avoid the rush at the platforms and is easy to be located and conveniently situated once the trainarrives on the platform. Mostly the commuters dont get on this compartment as they are already filled with crates and there is not enough room. This is a common understanding among daily commuters and dabbawallas. In any case the platform is filled with people and dabbawallas have to unload the crates on the platform, they start a series of loud verbal comments warning everyone to make way of the unloading. The unloading of this particular group takes place at Dadar, Lower Parel, Grant road and finally Churchgate etc. finally just six out of total 10 dabbawallas get off at Churchgate. There are also others joining into the group from the station as they have common destination points. The allocation of manpower at each station depends on the number of tiffins that have to be delivered in a particular area. E.g. if 150 tiffins are to be delivered in Grant Road, 4people are assigned to the station. This is done in keeping in the mind that one person cannot carry more than 35 dabbas. They will also be assigned specific codes which are written on the top of the Tiffin. This 4 dabbawallas can be from any

30

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex groups and irrespective of any station. Their job is now to deliver these 150 Tiffins irrespective of which group they belong to. If the number of Tiffins that are to be delivered in an areas like Nariman point, is large then the number of people allocated goes up. Within that area, if one location lets say, Mittal towers, has a huge number of Tiffins have to be delivered then this area number of the location number remains the same and tiffins are differentiated on basis of colour.

SORTING AT THE DESTINATION STATION AND DELIVERING - 11:20 to 12:30 am

At this stage the unloading takes place at Churchgate and our destination station. In our example in it will be Churchgate. Here, the rearrangement Of Tiffins takes place as per the destination area and destination building in Churchgate. Dabbawallas have to be dispatched accordingly and the dabbas are to be delivered in large quantities at times to areas like Nariman Point, RBI and Stock Exchange. If the number of Tiffins that are to be delivered in an area like Nariman Point (Which is very large considering the density of offices), then the number of dabbawallas to be

31

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex allotted to the area increases. Now, within that area, if one location, like, Mittal Towers has a huge number of Tiffins to be delivered then this area of number or location number remains the same and the dabbas have to be differentiated according to the basis of colour. To sum up the delivery process at the destination centers, each dabbawalla looks for a particular three character code written on right hand side of the cap of the Tiffin. The dabbawalla concentrates only on the dabbas that he has to deliver from Churchgate. He may not have in most cases, picked up his Tiffins from the originating stations; he has been allotted these dabbas only at Churchgate. This kind of specialization makes the entire system efficient and error free. The entire sorting process takes place outside Churchgate station or in the lanes around the station. Here, different groups arrange their dabbas in order of their destination areasand buildings. The main area around Churchgate includes Nariman point, RBI, StockExchange, Ballard Pier, and world trade center. There are around thirty groups itself at Churchgate station dispatching their respective tiffins in the area. In particular area with high density of customers a special crate is dedicated to that area. This crate carries 150 Tiffins and is driven by 3-4 dabbawallas!! A unique feature of the system is that bigger buildings with large office densities, like inNariman point, or the stock exchange building itself, an elevator is especially reserved for the dabbawallas during the lunch time. Usually these elevators have queues throughoutthe day as the offices ar4e extremely busy and hence, in order to provide convenience and quick delivery without queues. The dabbawallas have a special elevator reserved for themselves onto which others cannot board. In some cases, they also leave theTiffins in the canteen that is common to the whole building and hence the respective owners cansimply pick up theirs. This is also a feature seen in schools where the dabbawallas deliver. In other cases, like at Mittal Cambers the dabbawallas leave the Tiffins outside the respective offices. The peon comes and gives them to the respective clients in their offices. Incidentally, even the peons are good at recognizing the Tiffins as to whom they belong to! So, in this process, the dabbawallas save a lot of time by cutting short the delivery

32

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex process. Thereafter, the dabbawallas take a break and have their own lunch which is usually their Tiffins kept along with the others in the crate with special markings. Different groups have their lunch at different locations. It is generally on the footpath or some benches on the roadside. This break is usually of 45-60 minutes in duration. Till then, the customers must finish having their lunch and keep the dabbas outside for the dabbawalla to collect.

COLLECTION PROCESS - 1:15 to 2:00 pm

Here on begins the collection process where the dabbawalla have to pick up the Tiffins from the offices where they had delivered almost an hour ago. The dabbawallas are the same in this case. The one who delivers it to the office will be the same one who collects it. Most of the time, the dabbawalla will collect al dabbas from all the offices situated on the same floor and will leave them in the corridor. Then, he goes and collects all dabbas from various floors and gets them to the base level. Finally, he loads them onto the crate. This is actually the only risky point in the entire network system. This is because there is a risk of theft when the dabbawalla leaves the Tiffins outside the corridor. The only solution to this is, to have another dabbawalla securing the

33

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex dabbas while the other one goes and collects the remaining. This is related to a personal experience and hence amention of this incident is critical in analyzing the mechanism of the system. By complaints and suggestions from customers, the dabbawallas can actually bring some improvements in the system such as the one mentioned. A dabbawalla who can secure the procured Tiffins can greatly help in reducing thefts.

RETURN JOURNEY 2:00 to 2:30 pm

After the collection is over, the dabbawallas meet the remaining group members at a designated spot and the first assortment on the return journey takes place. The groupmembers meet with their respective crates and the segregation as per the destinationsuburbs takes place. The group departs for the station and all groups meet there for a common sorting process. The crates are arranged in a line and each dabbawalla picks up the tiffins that belong to his group at the destination centre (the originating centre). This is not the final sorting and therefore, the individual members of the destination group have to just identify the boxes and put them into the crates. One important thing to note is that a particular dabbawalla need not operate in the same group throughout the day. He will, in most cases operate with 2 different groups. One at the originating station (Santacruz) and one at the destination station

34

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex (Churchgate). Thecoordination is equally important in either groups and there is total unity among them. After sorting in various crates they depart in their respective train, which again are pre-decided and is part of their daily routine. This part of the journey is more relaxed as they are not under the pressure of timely delivery as in the mornings. They lighten up the moment by joking around and singing, which eases their stress and develops a strong bond in the group. TRAIN JOURNEY 2:48 - 3:30 pm

This again, is the return journey by train where the group finally meets up after the days routine of dispatching and collecting from various destination offices. The group members from Marine Lines, Grant Road and Dadar board the designated compartments and finally, they arrive at Santacruz station with the same dabbas that they had started off with in the morning. Usually, since it is more of a pleasant journey compared to the earlier part of the day, the dabbawallas lighten up the moment by merry making, joking around and singing, whicheases their stress and develops a strong bond among the group. Of course, other passengers also join them in the merry making at times and hence, these dabbawallas have created an impression upon other passengers of being hard

35

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex working, dedicated and joyous people. THE FINAL JOURNEY OF THE DAY 3:30 to 4:00 pm

This is the stage where the final sorting and dispatch takes place. The group meets up at Santacruz station and they finally sort out the Tiffins as per the destination area. This is the easiest process because of the limited quantity of tiffins that gets off the trains with them; it is simpler to understand which Tiffin belongs to whom. The dabbawallas take out the respective tiffins from the crates and either carry 10-15 of them physically on themselves or load them onto the crates till they reach their cycles. Then each of them departs on their way with the same dabbas that he took in the morning and delivers them to their respective houses. This delivery process takes roughly 30-45 minutes depending on the distance that the dabbawalla will have to cover. Thus, the entire network system ends with the delivery of the tiffins back to the customers origin point at the precise time everyday. The customer is satisfied with timely delivery of home food and the dabba back to the origin. There is still one more important and unique aspect to this system and that is the individual dabbawalla. This dabbawalla doesnt operate in any group. He picks up the dabba himself in the morning and travels himself in the morning and travels to the various destinations himself delivering them to the destination offices, collects them again and delivers them back to the origination home. This is a rare case but it

36

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex is a laudable effort that the dabbawalla puts in just to earn a meagre livelihood. A real example of this kind of a dabbawalla can be cited here. This particular dabbawalla travels from Ghatkoper toCuffe parade and back everyday!!! It is simply unbelievable that a person can do so much everyday and still manage efficiency with punctuality. He operates on an 8 am to 8 pm shift. But he doesnt have an option of taking the train too at any point because there are always tiffins at various points at various suburbs en route. For example, there are 4 tiffins from Parel to Churchgate between which he couldve easily taken the train by delegating his task of collection to another dabbawalla. But then, he will lose his customers to that dabbawalla then because it will be that second dabbawalla who is putting all the efforts and hence, he cannot afford to lose customers because he would be hurting his own income. He cannot lose out on his business which is earned with extreme hard work. Therefore, this system of going individual as a dabbawalla instead of a group is for those who prefer to put in more hard work just to earn that bit of extra income. The disadvantages in this system are: The dabbawallas entire scheduling and system will be disrupted if any customer causes a delay in giving the dabba to him. And secondly, if the dabbawalla falls ill or takes leave due to any reason, there wont be anyone to substitute his place and therefore, no backup. The customers will be frustrated and will switch over to another dabbawalla if this one has a habit of abstaining. That would be a great loss to the dabbawalla and hence, his health also needs to be maintained. Even more than any other dabbawalla who are working in groups. This is rather difficult considering the rigorous working and the long hours involved. As it is apparent enough, there is hardly any contact between the client and the dabbawalla during each day. The dabbawalla meets the client in his office only on the first day of delivery to verify the address and to show the spot where the Tiffin will be kept daily. The system has been honed to such perfection that many dabbawallas carry out the entire operation with the help of just the 1 st code, which is

37

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex absolutely reversed. Evidently, this system is tailor-made specifically for a city like Mumbai. Such a daily exercise can run successfully only in Mumbai due to following factors:

Plentiful commuters who go to offices daily. Presence of an efficient and wide spread railway network. Large distance between residencies and work places. An efficient and simple information system like the coding used by the dabbawallas

Chapter 12

38

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex CODING

The origin of the dabbawallas a hundred years odd ago was as a service of Tiffin carriage for the Parsi population. Soon, more and more people moved into the city and the dabbawallas had to cater to people of various religions. The suburbs kept going further and the patrons list kept getting longer. More and more carriers were pressed into service and soon, there was a clash in functioning styles of various groups. The number of tiffins increased for the dabbawallas as the days passed on. As every Tiffin box had to be carried to and fro mapping each box to its carrier was crucial or else it would lead to chaos. For this the dabbawallas started tying strings or wires or threads to their boxes. But soon these methods were inadequate as the number of tiffins grew exceptionally. Thus the need for a new form of coding came up, which could be understood by the illiterate dabbawallas and was inexpensive. Hence, in the 1970s a senior member in Raghunath Medges family decided to implement a new system where all the box codes and markings were uniform for the dabbawallas. This system would cater to any number of tiffins no matter the growth in additions. This was an ingenious creation. It served as a common code for the dabbawallas which was easy to decipher. That was the most important thing to remember while creating the codes. The Dabbawallas, being illiterate should be able to understand it and explain it with ease to new comers and outsiders.

39

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex

This coding system eventually stood the test of time and proved extensible. With coding in place, there was enough scope to factor in new developments like adding new dabbawallas or new office blocks or new sources and destinations. The new system depends on common protocols, a typical Indian approach to versatile distribution. Each tiff in containing the food has, number of codes in alphabets and numbers on its top which identify the following: The code allotted to each dabbawalla in a group that picks up the Tiffin form a particular area or suburb. The code of the origin station, which is usually one of the suburbs on western, central or harbour lines. The code for destination, which is Churchgate, CST or any other commercial area. The code of the dabbawalla in the destination area who handles the Tiffin there The code for the location or office building in the destination area The floor or the room in that building

Besides these that are displays on the top of the dabba there is also a difference in the colour of paints or chalk that they use to write the codes. Different groups will have different colour cod written on the top of the dabba so that the Tiffin belonging to a group remains distinct. This is necessary because there is usually more than just one group present at each station. The destination codes will be the same for all

40

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex groups at the same station. This makes it difficult to distinguish their tiffins, so the simplest way of bringing the distinctions that is required is by coding with different colours. This is a simple and easy way of differentiating the codes which is also easy to understand for the illiterate dabbawallas. The maximum number of colour used in this system is 7. Incidentally each group of dabbawallas must also carry coloured pencils or chalks so that they can write the codes if they have been erased or are difficult to interpret. Obviously, each and every dabbawalla must know the coding system very well and must also know all the dabbas in his group with respect to the origin and destination. Let, us know look at a few examples of these codes on the tiffins to better understand the system and what it all denotes :

We can now separate each element that is written on the Tiffin cover or top for understanding what it means. Let us follow the pattern anti-clockwise:-

41

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex VP The first thing on the Tiffin is the code for the originating station. This is the station from where the dabbawalla picks up the Tiffin in the morning. In this case, VP denotes Vile Parle. The area under this station will include Juhu and also J.V.P.D scheme since this is the only station, which is nearest. Even if the dabbawalla goes to the most interior parts like in Juhu, it will not be mentioned in the coding simply because the dabbawallas are just concerned about the respective railway stations. E This is the code for the dabbawalla who is picking up the Tiffin from its origin or home. In this case, the dabbawalla with the code of E will be a part of the group distinguished by the colour code RED. In many instances, the code will be the initial of the name of the dabbawalla. This is one of the elements that can be changed during the course of time if the dabbawalla for that particular customer changes. 3 This is the code for the destination area. This may not necessarily be restricted to astation only. For instance, the Churchgate is allotted number codes from 1-10. Number 11 is allotted to marine lines, 12 to Charni road and so on. In this example, the number 3 is allotted to the area between flora fountain and cross Maidan area. Other prime locations would include Nariman Point, stock exchange, Ballard pier, RBI etc. 9 VS 12 9 This is the code number for the dabbawalla who delivers the Tiffin to the destination office from Churchgate station. This is the dabbawalla who is responsible for delivering it to the respective office and picking it up after the lunch hours. He is a part of another group from the one he worked with at the originating station. Thus, in most cases, each dabbawalla will be a part of more than one group for sure, one at the origin and one at the destination. VS - This code denotes the exact location or more likely, the buildings initial in the area that falls under Churchgate station. In this case, it is VSNL building. VS being the initial for the building is unique and therefore, creates no confusion whatsoever for the dabbawallas. Office buildings around southern Mumbai are very popular and hence, easy to comprehend when given in codes. Other examples would be M for Mittal Towers,R for RBI, MC for Maker Chambers and so on.

42

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex 12 finally, the last code among the three codes that form the right side of the top of the dabba is the floor on the building (VSNL) or the room number in case of buildings with large number of rooms on each floor. Such an example would be Stock Exchange, RBI and BMC etc. Let us take a second example with different locations so we can exactly figure out how to comprehend the coding system.

GH This again denotes the originating station code, which in this case is Ghatkoper that is central line suburb. A dabbawalla will not usually work in two different groups or switch groups based in central region to Western suburbs. Of course, a dabbawalla, in all possibility can pick up Tiffin from a central suburb but deliver it to an office based in the western lines and vice versa. In this case, the origin is from a central suburb that is Ghatkopar. D- In this case, the dabbawalla, who picks up the Tiffin from Ghatkopar area and assembles with this group at the station, has a code D as mentioned earlier, this could be his initial or a random allotment. 13 This code is for the destination station and in this case, it represents Grant Road. This being a smaller station as per the area it encompasses, requires just one number for its designation. Churchgate and C.S.T are the only ones that have so

43

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex many numbers based on locations under them. 2P9 2 The first part of the right side codes is the code of the dabbawalla at the destination station. In this case, it is the dabbawalla with code 2 who is responsible for delivering it to the respective office and picking it up after the lunch hours. P - This code denotes the exact location or more likely, the buildings initial in the area that falls under Grant Road station. P stands for the Panchratna, which is among the most famous buildings in south Bombay as it is home to one of the largest diamond makers offices in the country. It is an old building and the dabbawallas have been providing services over here ever since the city became a diamond exporter and trading hub. 9 finally, the last code among the three codes that form the right side of the top of the dabba is the floor on the building (Panchratna) or the room number. Therefore, we can link the coding system and its function in the entire network process with fine example by taking the network process of the second example of the coding system: The sorting takes place at Ghatkopar station and the tiffins collected from the clients residences is kept with boxes that are bound for grant road station. This way it is easier to offload them and dispatch them to the respective dabbawala who is responsible for deliveries at grant road. At grant road station, the carrier whose number is 2, picks up all the boxes that are marked for him and proceeds At Panchratna, he leaves the tiffins outside the lifts or outsides the office on the 9th floor. During the lunch time, the client fetches the tiffins completes his lunch and puts the empty tiffins back to the same place so that dabbawala can collect it easily .The return journey follows the same route back. Chapter 13 DABBAWALLAS OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

44

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Dabbawallas operating environment depends upon the route and the geographical distance travelled by the dabbawallas. According to Medge, for many decades, the labour-intensive textile mills in Mumbai made the single largest contribution to the overall pool of dabbawalla customers. While the customer composition had recently changed to include school children, the basic customer profile had remained unchanged. The majority of dabbawalla customers comprised the Indian middle class of fixed income earners. Approximately 4,000 dabbawallas daily served workforce clients. Given the larger geographic spread of these clients from their homes, dabbawallas typically employed bicycles, pushcarts and the Mumbai railway to make these deliveries. Servicingschool children, on the other hand, did not require the use of the railway system as most were located close to their residences, despite the shorter distances for delivery, the dabbawallas charged more for these deliveries since lunch timings and their pick-ups varied. Dabbawallas had three primary lunch competitors fast-food chains, restaurants and roadside vendors. Kamat and Udupi were chains of both fast-food counters and restaurants located throughout Mumbai, catering to the lunch hour needs of their customers. These local chains were in direct competition with global chains, such as McDonalds, which entered the Mumbai market in 1997 Sociality food stalls, sans frills, serving local favourites provided another lunch option for Mumbais workforce. As did roadside vendors offering fast and efficient service and a varied lunch fare. Lastly, some Mumbai companies for tax shelter purposes offered their workers lunch coupons that were redeemable at select food outlets known as Ticket Restaurant. Dabbawallas have a niche of their own. We do not any of them as competitors. They prepare food, but we are not in the business of preparing food. We do not manufacture. We only deliver. There is no other meal delivery service in Mumbai. We work in a unique operating space where we have a monopoly. There are several factors that favour the trust. First, people in Mumbai, given a choice, seemed to prefer home-cooked food. Those who were already using the dabbawalla service were not inclined to switch to other providers as lunch hour routines were habit forming. Second, and perhaps most important, was the cost of

45

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex home-cooked lunches. Home-cooked food delivered by a dabbawalla almost always cost far less than having lunch at a food counter or a restaurant. For instance, at Nariman Point, Mumbais central downtown location, a vegetarian lunch, served in a steel plate called a thali, purchased at a restaurant would cost Rs. 120. Further, a combination of snacks that passed off for lunch at a fast-food counter would cost about Rs. 30, while similar fare from a roadside vendor would cost Rs. 18. All these options required that customers leave their workplace to eat food whose quality was not assured. lunch delivered by a dabbawalla from a catering establishment would cost an average of Rs. 20 (including Rs. 5 for delivery) Ahome-cooked lunch delivered by the dabbawalla would cost the home-owner about Rs. 8, with the majority of that cost paid for the dabbawalla delivery. Some of the smaller courier firms, known in Mumbai as angadias, were viewed in thelocal media as potential threats to the dabbawallas in terms of their ability to develop a parallel delivery service. Medge was doubtful about this potential threat as an angadias would require an army of couriers to handle the meal delivery business. Mobilizing and motivating the requisite workforce would likely prove challenging for angadias, many of whom were mom-and-pop businesses that lacked the resources and skills to manage a substantially large business demand. Larger courier firms operating in Mumbai, such as Blue Dart, DHL and FedEx, were not interested in pursuing a service similar to that offered by the dabbawallas, given the unique requirements of this type of delivery and their concerns about the inability to extend this service beyond Mumbai. The dabbawallas, as providers of these spaces and services, become minor patrons of spirituality in the rural context. This has been acknowledged by the award to the dabbawallas of the Shri Varkari Probhodhan Mahasamati Dindi (Palkhi) Sohala in March, 2001. The dabbawalla system has survived both the advent of the Udupi Restaurant a cheap eating-out option and the closure of the textile mills in Mumbai which provided a major chunk of its clientele. In its clientele, the dabbawallas have reached out to students living in hostels (again a privileged lot being nurtured by middle class parents), working women (whose

46

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex maid at home cooks the lunch for the dabba the use of the term working women in Mumbai is ironically restricted to office-goers and the like and fails to consider maids as working women) and aged people (living away from the nuclear family but within the field of responsibility of the nuclear family). Suburban railway network: Mumbais longitudinal-based geography provided a great deal of latitude in logistics management because the movement of dabbas towards the various north to south destination points remained largely unhindered, This helped in reducing the amount of food spoilage during delivery. The dabbawallas made extensive use of Mumbais suburban railways network. Indeed one popular saying in Mumbai was If the local train is the lifeline of the city, then the dabbawallas are the food line. It was only on days when the suburban railways grounded to a halt such as once or twice a year that monsoons flooded the tracks that the dabbas were not delivered .However,few recipients of the dabbas reached their workplaces when the railway system was not working. The railways provided the most convenient and economical mode of transport for the dabbas.

Section II

47

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Chapter 14 SWOT ANALYSIS A SWOT analysis is very important for a thorough and complete analysis of the dabbawallassystem. Being over a 100 year old organization, it is bound to have many strengths that are inherent in the system and it may also have certain weaknesses arising out of conventional technology. There will be several opportunities since it s such an open organization and its performance is also always visible to everyone. Lastly there will surely be certain threats to this system. Increasing competition from various other means and sources that provide similar or substitute services to commuters will also have a great impact on the organization. Let us now look at each aspect of the analysis and hence take a better picture of the dabbawallas system.

STRENGTHS Simplicity in organization - The organizational structure is very simple. It is a loose cooperative with the entire organization divided into Strategic business Units (SBUs).

48

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex I.e. groups of 10- 20 individual dabbawallas. These groups are responsible for their own sources of money and have to maintain their own accounts if required. Therefore, they are financially independent. With relatively medium income levels and greater levels of customer satisfaction, this Organization does not at all need a rigid operating structure. Coordination - The groups although independent as far as money matters are concerned, work very smoothly and effectively with each other. Not only is the coordination within the group perfect but also the coordination among different groups is really remarkable. Agroup responsible for a particular area in Andheri will effectively coordinate with other groups on the way to Churchgate station and will gradually. The individuals will merge into other groups for delivery. The effectiveness of coordination can best be seen during the sorting process. There is no rivalry whatsoever among different groups and the functioning is smooth and problem free. Integrated working - A large number of groups coordinate among themselves and dabbawallas change their groups for picking up and dispatching at the origin and destination Stations, they can practically work with the same efficiency in any group. This makes the end result extremely efficient and the customer satisfaction is also high. The basic reason for this is the integrated working pattern. A highly accurate and efficient coding system along with the efficient system of local trains leads to a complete integration of the working of all groups at various stations. A single Dabbawala is never completely devoted to one single group or one single Tiffin box. Therefore, this integration goes a long way in asserting the success of the system. Team Spirit - All the dabbawallas mostly operate in groups that are actually functioning as a team does in any sport. They have a daily routing to complete which is like a mission to accomplish within a stipulated time. External factors such as weather elements, crowd, disputes with outsiders etc.., are all neglected then it comes to performing the duty first because of the time constraint. Every dabbawala knows that he must work effectively in the team in order to complete the job successfully. Another reason for the great team spirit is that most dabbawallas are from the same region and community and therefore, its like a huge family that is working together to earn a livelihood. Disputes are often for a short period only and

49

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex they get back to working with everyone in a very friendly way. Cooperation is the key element here. Apart from the advantages that one drives by working in a group. People prefer to work in a group simply because it is a team whichpools all the efforts and gives the most efficient overall output in terms of productivity and efficiency. Simple character The dabbawallas are basically a part of a large community that was the direct descendent of Shivaji Maharajs work force and army. Therefore, their origins date back to the glory days of the region and hence, their nature is essentially simple and orthodox. Rather. One can say that they seem to be like simple, cheerful and humble folk. But this is lighter side of the dabbawalla who is like a military personnel carrying out the duties with immense hard work and agility. At work, they perform like a ruthless army with a mission to achieve victory by racing against time. their daily agenda, if experimented by the common man in practically will not only exhaust him but will make him have more and more respect for the great army Tiffin carriers who have such a vigorous daily exercise to perform. Whenever they have an opportunity or have time inhand, like during lunch or while sitting in the train during the journeys, the dabbawallas show their true nature and simplicity in character by sharing some light moments. They are cheerful, joyous and relaxed folk. Difficult characteristics to believe if one were to simply see the way they work. But by simply travelling with them for a day, one can make out that they welcome strangers whoare willing to know more about them and want to talk to them. They are also very inquisitive about the happening around the world. Be it the technology in new gadgets, sports, politics and products that have been introduced in the market. They are quite intelligent as a matter of fact, due to their inquisition. They are very cooperative and cheerful and when interacted. There is no cunningness or malice for anyone and are satisfied with whatever they earn out of the hard work. During the hectic day they will always manage to get a couple of good laughs over matters that would seem ambiguous or childish to us. Low Operation Cost - The costs involved in carrying out the daily routines are very low if you compare it to any logistical company. The main expenditure is on their travelling only which too, is by the cheapest and fastest mode of transport in the city.

50

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Besides trains, they operate on bicycles or on foot which is also very cheap. Bicycles require negligible expenses because they are easy to maintain. The information system is neither computerized nor does it involve paper work. It is simply done by marking codes on the top oh the Tiffins with coloured pencils or paint or chalk. The money matters are handled individually by the groups and therefore the incomes and common expenses are borne by the groups itself. It is difficult to find any other organization that operates on such a large scale and yet is so cost efficient. Conventional working methods - the working methodology of the dabbawallas is totally conventional. It consists of non-technology based techniques and yet is very efficient. There is absolutely no computerization involved in maintaining client accounts, the systematic networking of tiffins carriage, in maintaining records of the number of dabbawallas the number of absentees or even complaints. All this is handled individually by the respective groups. For the number of tiffins allotted, each dabbawalla is responsible for collecting the money from his clients. And he has to handle their complaints too. If there are major disputes they have to resolve during the monthly meetings held at Dadar. That are convened by the association, there is no paperwork involved as well. All the transport logistics, clients account, Tiffin allocation etc are handled without any book keeping or by maintaining records. All the functions are discussed within the group initially and the same is carried out regularly. There is no change in their working method at all. All principles and methods have been predefined and have been kept simple enough to avoid any need of automation or complexity Considering all these factors, it is laudable that the dabbawalla still manage all the deliveries, client accounts and differences in income and expenditure so efficiently. Customer satisfaction - The clients of the dabbawallas are an extremely satisfied lot. They have no disputes with the dabbawallas as matters can be resolved face to face and in most cases, the dabbawallas policy makes things simpler. If in a particular case the clients Tiffin gets misplaced or lost, the dabbawala takes the responsibility irrespective of the fact that another carrier working in the destination area might have lost the dabba. It was primarily the responsibility of the dabbawala who is under the respective clients contract to ensure the safety of the Tiffin. He has taken his own decision to delegate

51

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex the job of delivery to another member and hence, he has to bear the loss for the misplaced Tiffin - box. Therefore this policy being simple as it is the client is quite satisfied because there are no disputes and claim issues. In other cases such as leaves, the dabbawala would usually intimate the group members about his being unable to attend the duties on a particular day and hence, the backup member would catty out the duty on his behalf. Therefore, because of the absence of the usual dabbawalla, the client is not totally deprived of the services, as there is a back up in the most cases. Other leaves include the week long holiday that all dabbawallas take to attend the annual festival at their village. This information is provided to the client before hand, and is intimated one week in advance. So that is not inconvenient at last moment. WEAKNESSES Funds for the association - The association has very limited funds for the organization. Every dabbawalla has to deposit Rs. 15 every month to the association. With around 4,500 dabbawallas working that would amount to Rs. 67,500 for the association per month that translates to over Rs. 8 lakhs. With this fund, the association has to maintain all the pilgrimage places where it has set tip dharamshalas. It also has to sponsor certain welfare benefits to the dabbawalla in terms of medical aid and financial aid to the family members of the dabbawala involved in an accident. The association can accumulate more funds and allocate them for programs such as children education, upliftment of communities at village level and other well benefits. But this shortage of funds hinders these possibilities. High dependability on local trains - The entire dabbawala network, barring a few who function independently on bicycles, is totally dependent on the functioning of the railways. They work only if the train works. Therefore, during the bandh or railwaystrikes, the dabbawallas call off their duties, Of course, the customers do understand the problem and the case of the dabbawallas taking an off due to non functioning of railways is again, a rare case. The local trains of Mumbai do not stop in case of heavy monsoons or even during riots. The trains are hence, very efficient in their daily functionality. This enables thedabbawallas to perform their operations regularly enough. But the underlined fact is that they function only when the trains

52

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex function and therefore their over dependence on the railway net work is an undeniable weakness. Illiteracy - the majority of the members of the dabbawala association can only manage to sign their names. They are unable to read or write in English. This poses as a major problem in case the individual leaves the association and has look at an alternative profession. His inability to write will then pose a problem to his own survival. The association does not take any up any initiative to educate the dabbawallas. As a part of its welfare and social commitment, education is absent from the agenda. But the dabbawallas do manage to carry out their operations with their limited ability to read and write. They are able to comprehend the codes imprinted on the tiffins. If they are totally illiterate, they ale trained to that level but in most cases, the dabbawallas do not require this kind of training because the association has set a minimum criterion for the applicants who want to join the association. They must be able to understand the basic alphabets and numbers. Unfortunately in todays times it is necessary to acquire proper knowledge and education to secure ones future. Not all dabbawallas work till they are 65 or 70 years old and therefore they require the knowledge to support themselves. Thus, it is definitely a weak point. OPPORTUNITIES Advertising - the dabbawallas have been approached by various companies before for advertising on the Tiffins the most famous and successful campaign to date has been the Kaun Banega Crorepati advertisement. Star Plus approached the organisation and offered a meagre amount of Rs.10, 000 for pasting its stickers on every Tiffin box. This is incidentally the standard rate the association charges from every company that wishes to advertise. The 9 baj gaye kya? campaign was a great success as all office goers would notice this on their Tiffin boxes everyday and would hence remember to watch the programme 9 pm every night. It had great recall value at that time. Thus, association has several more opportunities to grab in form of additional revenue that arises from these ads. It caters to over 1, 50,000 people everyday and the cost for the advertising is also minute compared to the exposure that it offers. The contract would be on a weekly basis or a month basis.

53

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Other cities - The dabbawalla network could also work in other cities but in a smaller scale. Cities like Pune already have a small network of dabbawallas who operate on bicycles only. There is definitely a source of income in such cities as there is a huge market. Although, the absence of a efficient railway network that is gifted to Mumbai city exclusively could pose a problem, it is nevertheless quite possible to operate on a medium scale compared to Mumbai. Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad etc are few cities where office goers have to commute daily to their work places also, the dabbawallas can cater to the needs of school going children. It will be a more rigorous exercise if the dabbawallas were to travel by bicycle across the length and breadth of cities but small cities such as Pune can be manageable and then cities like Delhi now have the Metro Rail as an efficient means of transport. Thus, these cities are a great opportunity for the dabbawallas to expand their service network. Catering considering the increasing competition from restaurants and catering services, the dabbawallas also can, in a small way, start their own catering service for customers. There are a large number of customers who find it difficult to prepare the lunch early in the morning. Especially in the case of working women who have to prepare lunch for their husband and her self and also to manage to reach the office on time. In such cases, if there could be the convenience of catering as well as delivery services. It would be an ideal benefit to many customers. The dabbawallas can manage the catering at a central location (e.g. Dadar) and then, a few of the dabbawallas can pick up the tiffins from the catering centre and deliver them to various offices. In this manner, the customers can get the benefit of warm food at the lunch hour and without undergoing the pain of preparing lunch early in the morning while managing other affairs. This in fact, is one of the biggest opportunities for the dabbawallas to tap. THREATS The business of the dabbawallas has to withstand major shocks during the last decade. Textile Industry Shutdown a major chunk of the clientele was lost with the closure of the textile mills in Mumbai. These mills constituted a huge labour force and thus their closure was a severe blow to dabbawallas.

54

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Change in Timings many of the citys banks changed their timings from 10:30 hrs to 11:00 hrs. The RBI employees was used to leave for work at 9:00 am previously and so there were crates of tiffins leaving from colonies but after the change in timings, they can leave an hour later and take their lunch with them as they have sufficient time for preparation. Company Transport the main benefit that the dabbawalla serve for the most office goers is the convenience of going hands free to work by trains during the rush hours but now many of the companies has started pick up and delivery us service for their employees. This again, is a loss of clientele for the dabbawallas Subsidized Lunch many of the schools and companies are now of offering subsidized lunch in their in-house canteens. Hence, the students and employees Dont have to carry tiffins anymore. Catering Services these services pose the biggest threat to the dabbawallas.Private organizations provide cheap food delivered hot and fresh. Usually, they charge anything between Rs.20 per Tiffin to Rs.40 per Tiffin. This price is inclusive of food and delivery!! Predatory pricing one might say but it works brilliantly with people who are willing to compromise with home cooked food. Eatery Stalls - while eating trends have changed and so there is a decrease in the demand for the dabbawalas service. The number of eating options has increased drastically. Not only restaurants but cheaper outlets serving a variety of meals are now a flourishing business. These stalls and outlets prepare huge vessels filled with a complete meal and sell it for merely Rs. 15 only! Briyanis, fish curry, rice plate, Chinese food etc are among the variety of cuisines offered at really cheap rates. Almost every lane in downtown Mumbai has some outlet or the other. People get used to the taste and do not care too much about the quality. In most cases, the quality is genuinely good in case of meals that are pre - cooked and served. Ticket Restaurant many offices have started using coupons to their employees which are valid at particular restaurants theyre known as Ticket Restaurants. Employee canenjoy restaurant grade food at the companys expense. Smoking Joes, Shiv Sagar, Copper chimney etc are some of the ticket restaurants. Over comings these threats is a great challenge for the dabbawalas. In most cases,

55

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex it is impossible for them to substitute the eatery stalls and subsidized food offered by companies but the advantage to them still remains that their customers can get warm home cooked food at the lunch hour.

Chapter 15 CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS The Dabbawallas are known and recognized for its negligible number of

56

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex transactional errors. We now discuss in detail what is behind such an outstanding performance. Flexible Infrastructure: The back bone of Dabbawallas is the higher frequency of sub-urban train services. There is a train service virtually every minute. The entire operational area of Dabbawallas is serviced by the well developed rail-way infrastructure. Further, the train services are inexpensively priced. Customer Co-operation: The members of the co-operative do not wait for lunch boxes, if they are not ready when they arrive for collection at residences. The household understands the need to be punctual to support i.e. functioning of Dabbawallas and extend appropriate co-operation. Appropriate Network Structure: The logistics network of Dabbawallas is acombination of milkman route, hub-hub transfer, and hub and spoke distribution. There is perfect symmetry in the reverse logistics operation. Codification system: The codification system is the core to material flow and its tracking in the system. It is home grown, ad hoc but serves adequately the purpose for which it is designed. It is a combination of alphabets, symbols and colour. It is unique to Dabbawallas. The codification is a combination of systems approach and personalized information available to members. It is specific to the extent required. Topography: The Dabbawallas have evolved in the context of Mumbai city. The operational area topography is linear. At the origination it is dispersed over a large area. At the destination it is concentrated on a smaller geographical area. The traffic pattern is characterized by low volume spread over larger area to high volume spread over small area. Process Capability: The total time required from collection to delivery is about 3 hours. End to end (conservative) travel time - 1.30 hrs. Travel time to the nearest railway stationat the origin 30 mts. sorting and material handling etc. - 30 mts. and final dispatch - 30mts. All this adds up to 3 hours. However, the time available for end-end delivery is at least 4 hours. Thus the Dabbawallas process is inherently capable of meeting customer expectations and specifications. Further, the delivery of the lunch boxes is consolidated at the floor level at the consumer location. In a place like Mumbai, this saves significant time, energy and possible complications. The customers also participate in the last step of the (lunch

57

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex box) delivery process. Further, it makes no difference to the customer (on time dimension) as long as the delivery is made before 1300 hrs. Transport economics: The public infrastructure (sub-urban rail network) is used to deliver lunch boxes. This keeps the cost low, and hence affordable price to consumers. Lower price induces volume and scale economics. Depending on the need (at the origin and destination locations) the allocation of manpower is dynamic and flexible. There aremore members to handle large volume at destination. At collection centers it is more of spread and appropriate volume and member ownership. Every customer location is identified with a team member. It is his (members) responsibility to collect lunch boxes and return empty boxes back home. The codification system incorporates this specific need. Actually the Dabbawallas assign specific collection routes to individual members. Redundancy: Each route (collection) is assigned to an individual member. Often, this information on collection route is know11 to every other member in the team. Should there be a need to substitute a member on collection route it can be done effortlessly, without affecting the collection process and its accuracy. Coordination: The responsibility to collect, transport and deliver lunch boxes is at the individual member level. There are no managers or supervisors in the system. Every member is motivated, trained, disciplined and empowered to do his job to the best of his ability. Structure: The structure is decentralized. The model is scalable (on volume). It is a three tier structure, co-operative organization. The basic units are individuals, teams and groups. There are in all 120 business units. Compensation: Compensation in a group is same to every member irrespective of work load and responsibility.

CHAPTER 16 LESSONS TO LEARN FROM THE DABBAWALLAS The Dabbawallas provide illustrations of several well known world class business practices. It has all the salient features of a brilliant business strategy. We first

58

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex discuss briefly the elegant management practices and then outline the business strategy. Structure and Organization: The Dabbawallas is organized as a co-operative structure to symbolize equality and fairness. The three tier structure is readily scalable based on business opportunity and volume. It eminently suits the attention needed at specific territories (group level). It ensures attention to detail and decentralization (at optimal resource deployment) at the team level. The team is nothing but a confederation of members. Each member is associated with a route. In this sense, the revenue opportunity is well integrated with the organization structure. The scale and scope economics are managed respectively by the teams and groups. The present structure is an optimal way of delivering centralized planning and decentralized execution of business services. Codification System: This pragmatic codification system ensures complete traceability of lunch boxes in the system. It enables material flow and tracking of individual boxes by detailed information. It is inexpensive, less elegant, yet detailed enough to support operations. It integrates the knowledge and information of individual members on route, origin, handling agent, destination address etc. In a sense it is a variation of an online transaction processing system to identify and track material in (such) a large system HR Practices: The Dabbawallas is built on (members) pride in work. The members do not consider themselves as logistics (operation) providers. They consider their job is to provide food to their customers. This is source of pride for them. It is a great motivator to improve and sustain their performance. The members belong to a homogeneous (ethnic) group. There is a well developed apprenticeship program. Compensation: The compensation is same at the group level. Equal work equal pay. There is no subsidy since group is a homogeneous and logically a differentiating entity. Redundancy: The team members have slack capacity. Substitutability among members in a team is easy. Flexible manpower deployment at the destination ensures operationalaccuracy. More than one team operating in an originating train station ensures internal competition and operational efficiency.

59

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Fun and Work Mix: After delivery of lunch boxes, the members break away from work to enjoy their leisure time. There is a one week forced holiday every year to visit their (member) villages. Mutual respect for individuals and empowerment are reinforcing features. Members are expected to conduct themselves to earn respect from public. They were uniform while at work. Transportation Economics: Dabbawallas is an example of a judicious mix of transportation economics. At the collection point it is a milk man route structure. This is supported by a hub-hub transfer to handle large volume at reduced operational cost. At the destination, it is hub to spoke to ensure response time and handle volume flexibility. The rail infrastructure ensures flexibility and lower cost of operation. Flexible manpower deployment and codification system guarantee appropriate response time, smooth flow of information and material tracking in the system. Inspite of death the delivery is impeccable: Some months ago, a dabbawalla waiting on his bicycle at a traffic light was hurled off the road by a lorry gone berserk and was smashed to death. Yet, even in such an extreme situation, his quota of dabbas was delivered. News travels fast on the network. The Mukadam got to hear of the accident within minutes and contracted the secretary of the Association (who patrols the city for just this kind of emergency), asked him to look after the police formalities, collected the dead man's dabbas, and being familiar with the symbols, got them to their destination just 30 minutes late. Bombay's salute to its dabbawalla's, as you see, is well deserved.

CHAPTER 17 NETWORK MANAGEMENT: LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

60

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex About Logistics Logistics is happening around the globe, 24 hours of every day seven days a week during 52 weeks a year. It is difficult to visualize accomplishing any marketing or manufacturing anything without logistical support. Logistics has been performed since the beginning of civilization. However, implementing best practice of logistics has become one of the most exciting and challenging operational areas of business and public sector management. Logistics is concerned with getting products and services where they are needed when they are desired. The operating responsibility of logistics is geographical positioning of raw materials, work in progress and finished inventories where required at the lowest cost possible. Logistics involves integration of information, transportation, and inventory. Warehousing, internal handling, and packaging. All of these areas of work provide a variety of stimulating jobs the overall goal being to achieve targeted level of customer service at the lowest possible cost. Logistical competency is achieved by coordinating the following: Network Design Information Transportation Inventory Warehousing, material handling, and packaging. Two qualifications are important when discussing logistical work from point of single enterprise. First, all firms require the support co-operation of many other businesses to compete in the overall logistical process. Second, there are service firms that perform logistical work on behalf of their customers such as transportation carriers. Logistics management is a field of management, which primarily deals with the coordination or resources of in an organization. Logistics management focuses on an organization as a whole and not on individual units and departments while deciding the allocation of resources men, money materials, machines and time. It is through the logistical process that the materials flow into the vast manufacturingcapacity of an individual nation and products are distributed through

61

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex marketing channels to consumers. The problem of logistics management becomes increasingly complex as the volume of business increases, and as the distances between the procurement centre, production centre and market consumption centre increase. The overall goal being to achieve targeted level of customer service at the minimum possible cost. Logistics involves detailed and complex work. Logistics managers are responsible for planning and administrating this work. Thus logistics management is defined as under: Definition of Logistics The definition of logistics adopted by the Council of Logistics Management is the process of planning, implementing, and controlling the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services, and related information from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements. Note that this definition includes inbound, outbound, internal, and external movements, and return of materials for environmental purposes. The Logic of Logistics Transportation is vital to logistics and supply chain success. Yet by defining yourself solely as a freight company, youre essentially defining yourself as a commodity service. And with a commodity, the only way to distinguish one companyfrom another is price. That can be a dangerous, myopic alternative. As a logistics service provider, you expand what you offer the customer. You may provide a warehousing service, for example. But it is not a separate, discrete service. It is integrated in with your transportation. You may integrate with your customers systems towork with him to manage the movement of products to meet production or customer requirements. When mulling the pros and cons of a move towards logistics, consider the following: As a commodity service, youre vulnerable and can be replaced by your customers. As a logistics provider, youre integrated into your supplier Replacing you isnt so easy. Many customers issue bid requests and select largely on price. Some

62

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex readily drop carriers over rates. Career advancement in your customers logistics departments requires a rounded experience of responsibilities and promotions. Often the way to accomplish this is to change companies. This turnover of logistics decision makers can create adangerous situation for incumbent carriers. The new executive wants to be asuccess and may bring his own set of preferred carriers with him. Logistics departments arent staffed as they once were. Theyre looking for service providers who can do more and make their job easier. Of course, providing a logistics service means more than putting the word logistics in Your company name. It means offering truly integrated services. One that is tailored to meet the specific needs and requirement of each customer, a customized service rather than a homogenized service. Developing that service can be difficult. Intermodal companies arent used to thinking in terms of tailored and integrated service. This is true whether youre looking at how to sell it, how to design it or how to implement and operate it. You may need to call in outside consultants to work with you and your customer. But if done properly, the effort will be worth it to your bottom line. One last hint and this applies whether you explore logistics as a separate thirdparty company or as opportunities arise with customers: look at the small and medium-sized businesses. Everyone chases the major corporations, yet small businesses comprise by far the majority of companies in the U.S. The next time youre making your pitch at some corporate HQ, think about all the small businesses you drove by on the way in. About Supply Chain Management A supply chain is the process of moving goods from the customer order through the raw materials stage, supply, production, and distribution of products to the customer. Allorganizations have supply chains of varying degrees, depending upon the size of the organization and the type of product manufactured. These networks obtain supplies and components, change these materials into finished products and then distribute them to the customer.

63

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Managing the chain of events in this process is what is known as supply chain management. Effective management must take into account coordinating all the different pieces of this chain as quickly as possible without losing any of the quality or customer satisfaction, while still keeping costs down. The first step is obtaining a customer order, followed by production, storage and distribution of products and supplies to the customer site. Customer satisfaction is paramount. Included in this supply chain process are customer orders, order processing, inventory, scheduling, transportation, storage, and customer service. A necessity in coordinating all these activities is the information service network. In addition, key to the success of a supply chain is the speed in which these activities canbe accomplished and the realization that customer needs and customer satisfaction are the very reasons for the network. Reduced inventories, lower operating costs, productavailability and customer satisfaction are all benefits which grow out of effective supply chain management. The decisions associated with supply chain management cover both the long-term and short-term. Strategic decisions deal with corporate policies, and look at overall design andsupply chain structure. Operational decisions are those dealing with every day activities and problems of an organization. Therefore, an organization must structure the supply chain through long-term analysis and at the same time focus on the day-to-day activities. Furthermore, market demands, customer service, transport considerations, and pricing constraints all must be understood in order to structure the supply chain effectively. These are all factors, which change constantly and sometimes unexpectedly, and an organizationmust realize this fact and be prepared to structure the supply chain accordingly. Structuring the supply chain requires an understanding of the demand patterns, service level requirements, distance considerations, cost elements and other related factors. It is easy to see that these factors are highly variable in nature and this variability needs to be considered during the supply chain analysis process. Moreover, the interplay of these complex considerations could have a significant bearing on the outcome of the supply chain analysis process. There are six key elements to a supply chain:

64

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Production Supply Inventory Location Transportation, and Information The Issues The supply chain has also been called the value chain and the service chain, depending on the fad of the moment, or sometimes, we think, the weather, or sun spot activity. Just like anything else, supply chain management is no panacea, nor should it be embraced as a religion. It is an operational strategy that, if implemented properly, will provide a new dimension to competing: quickly introducing new customized high quality products and delivering them with unprecedented lead times, swift decisions, and manufacturing products with high velocity. Software companies have jumped on the bandwagon and attempted to claim SCM as their own. Information transfer is critical to swiftly moving parts through the chain of processes, but information is only one of six key elements. Definition of Supply chain Management (SCM) The definition of supply chain management adopted by the Ohio State Universitys Global SCM Forum is the integration of business processes from end user through original suppliers that provide products, services, and information that add value for customers. Integration of Logistics and the Supply-Chain Logistics is the time-related positioning of resource, or the strategic management of the total supply-chain. The supply-chain is a sequence of events intended to satisfy a customer It can include procurement, manufacture, distribution, and waste disposal, together with associated transport, storage and information technology . The application of logistics is essential to the efficient management of the supplychain Transport is an integral part of the supply-chain, not only between the sequence of events but during the processes.

65

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex

Transportation, Containerization and Consolidation Transportation Many factors contribute to economic and social progress but mobility is especially important because the ingredients of a satisfactory life, from food and health to educationand employment, are generally available only if there is adequate means of moving people, goods FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER PLACE over lands, rivers, canals, lakes, seas and oceans by using vehicles moving on road, rail, water and air. This means All biological laws support perishing of human beings with the first Ice Age. The mainreason for their survival was development of a healthy habit of accepting the challenge of nature at each and every step of development. The discovery of fire no doubt, was an important achievement but it is also right to mention that all inventions made so far, the wheel is probably the most important

66

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex with far reaching efforts, Over 5000 years ago, the wheel was first invented in Mesopotamia. The new invention soon spread over the world like wild fire. At the outset, the Middle East and Egypt and later Europe and other of Globe module of wheel were used for different purposes. In true sense, this new invention npromoted a new concept of development in which Speed could receive and over riding priority. A well-managed system of transport acts as a catalyst of economic transformation. In India or elsewhere the greatest revolution in road transport took place with advent mechanized road vehicle. Of late, we find transport the de-facto barometer of social, economic and commercial progress. It has been successful in transporting the entire unit moved on road through sea and air across the oceans and continents. Transport is not an end in itself but a means to an end that is enabling goods to get to a place where they will be of a great value. The primary aim of transport is to add utility of place. In other words each stage of the process from production to consumption adds value to the product, adds to its utility of place. Transport is the lifeline of any country. Development of a country to the large extent depends on the infrastructure and the feasibility to connect places. To achieve economy in pricing easier availability of goods and products and easy access to far flung and to distant, places, land transport plays vital role. The fundamentals of transport economics rely mainly on reduction and elimination of wastage and making the process of providing transport cost efficient. Even after 53 years of independence the countrys infrastructure link connecting business places is yet to develop fully. Road set-up even on the national highways is not up to international standards. Rising fuel prices, unsatisfactory condition of roads, environmental hazards of fuel to fire. Need of the hour therefore is to compliment land coordinate the expertise and experience of all modes of transport to mutual and social benefits ultimately the customer/consumer (industry in this case) is the king and his satisfaction should be the only measure, but joining hands pooling resources and identifying the strength of each mode to develop the transport sector as a whole. The main operating objective of transport is to move goods from one place to

67

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex another. Moving goods from place to place should be undertaken safely, economically and to the proposed time-table (schedule); this does not mean that the fastest possible speed by consistent with the price and quality of service is readily on offer. Given a facility of network and information capability, transportation is the operational area of logistics that geographically positions inventory. Because of its fundamental importance, visible cost transportation has received considerable managerial attentionover the years. Transportation requirements can be accomplished in 3 basic ways as follows Private fleet of equipment. Arranging a contract with specialist. Common carriage. These three forms of transportation are typically referred to as private contract andcommon carriage. From the logistical viewpoint, three factors fundamental to transportation performance are cost, speed and consistency. The cost of transportation is the payments for movements between two geographical locations and expenses related to administration and maintaining in transit inventory. Logistical systems should be designed to utilize transportation that minimizes total system cost. This means that the least expensive transportation does not always result in the total cost of movement. We can relate it with the Dabbawallas since the cost of transportation in here is nominal as they travel mostly by trains and while on roads they have their own bicycles, handcarts etc. Speed of transportation is the time required to complete a specific movement. Speed & cost of transportation are related in two ways. Firstly transportation firms capable of providing faster service, typically charge higher rates and secondly, the faster thetransportation service, the shorter the time interval during which inventory is m transit and unavailable Thus, a critical aspect of selecting the most desirable method of transportation is to work out a best balance/compromise between speed and cost of service matched with demand of consumption keeping

68

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex minimum inventories. We can relate it with the Dabbawallas since they have the maximum speed for transportation, because it is seen in their efficiency to reach a long route through minimal amount of time. Consistency of transportation refers to variations in time required to perform a specific movement over a number of shipments. Consistency is the reflection of the dependability of transportation. For years, transportation managers have considered consistency the most important characteristic of quality transportation. If a given movement takes 2 days one time and six days the next the unexpected variance can create serious logistical operational problems. If transportation lacks consistency, inventory safety stocks will be required to protect against unpredictable service breakdowns. Transportation consistencyaffects both the sellers and buyers overall inventory commitment and risk. With the advent of the new information technology to control and report shipment status, logistics manger has begun to seek faster service while maintaining consistency. We can relate it with the Dabbawallas a they have maximum consistency in their work they do not let the Tiffins to pile up at one place for more than 2 hours at one place as soon as the concerned person receives his own stock of Tiffins he dispatches them accordingly. Transportation is one of the most visible elements of logistics operation. It noted that 10 - 20 percent of the material cost is transportation cost. The logisticians view of transportation services has changed dramatically during the last fifteen years. Prior tofederal deregulation in the late 1970s and early 1980s, transportation service offerings were restricted and rates were relatively fixed. In this environment, the logisticians role could be likened to a purchaser of any other commodity such as coal or grain. There was very little differentiation among suppliers of transportation terms of either quality or price. De-regulation allowed more pricing flexibility for carriers and also significantly reduced restrictions on transportation services and relationships require todays logistician to be more proactive in identifying the most desirable combination of

69

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex carrier services and pricing structures to meet the firms objectives. A wider range of transportation alternatives exists today for product or raw material movement than ever before. For example, a firm may consider for hire transportation, private transportation, or a variety of f contractual arrangements with different transport specialists. Transport Functionality Transportation is one of the most visible logistics operations, as customers we are accustomed to seeing trucks and trains moving product or parked at distribution facility. While this experience provides good visual understanding of transportation elements, it doesnt allow the necessary depth of knowledge to understand transportations role in logistics operation. In order to establish the foundation reviewing the functionality provided by transportation and principles of transport operations is essential. Transport functionality provides two major functions: product movement and storage. Product Movement Whether the product is in the form of materials, components, assemblies, work in process, or finished goods, transportation is necessary to move it to the next stage of the manufacturing process or physically closer to the ultimate customer. A primary transportation function is product movement up and down the value chain. Since transportation utilizes temporal, financial, and environmental resources, it is important that items be moved only when it truly enhances product value. Transportation involves the use of temporal resources because product is inaccessible during the transportation process. Such product, commonly referred to as in transit inventory, is becoming a significant consideration as a variety of supply chain strategies such as just in time and quick response practices reduce manufacturing distribution centre inventories. Transportation uses financial resources because internal expenditures are necessary for private fleets or external expenditures are required for commercial or public transportation. Expenses result from driver labour, vehicle operating cost, and some allocation for general and administrative costs. In addition, consideration of other

70

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex expenses resulting product loss or damage must be made. Transportation uses environmental resources both directly and indirectly. In direct terms, it is one of the worlds largest consumers of energy (i.e. fuel & oil); indirectly transportation creates environmental expense through congestion, air and noise pollution. The major objective of transportation is to move product from origin location to aprescribed destination while minimizing temporal, financial and environmental resourcecost, loss and damage expenses must also be minimized. At the same time, the movement must take place in a manner that meets customer demands regarding deliveryperformance and shipment information availability. As seen in case of the Dabbawallas, they have a unique way of transportation by the maximum use of Mumbai citys lifeline the railways and also while on roads the usage of handcarts, bicycles etc. Product Storage A less common transportation function is temporary storage. Vehicles make otherexpensive storage facilities. However if the in transit product requires storage but will be moved again shortly, the cost of unloading and reloading the product in a warehouse mayexceed the per diem (daily) charge of storage in the transportation vehicle. But the costly product storage cost may be justified from the total cost or performance perspective when loading or unloading costs, capacity constraints, or the ability to extend lead times is considered. In circumstances warehouse space is limited; utilizing transporting vehicle may be of viable option. One method involves loading products on the vehicle and the having it take a circuitous or indirect route to its destination. With a circuitous, transit times is greater than with a more direct route. This is desirable when the origin or destinationwarehouse has limited storage capacity. In essence, the transportation vehicle is being used, as a temporary storage option but is moving rather than sitting idle.

71

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex A second method to achieve temporary product storage is diversion. This occurs when an original shipment destination is changed while delivery is in transit. For example, suppose a product is initially scheduled to be shift from Chicago to Los Angles. However, if during the delivery process it is determined that San Francisco is in greater need of the product or has available storage capacity, the product could be diverted to the direct diversion strategies. Today, satellite communication between enterprise headquarters and vehicle more efficiently handle the task. As seen in case of the Dabbawallas, they normally store the tiffins to be transported in metal containers, this is temporary storage, then the Tiffins are consolidated in a large wooden box to be transported through railways. Containerization The container as the name implies is equipment used to store and carry goods. Containerization - The Concept of Unit-Load Containerization is method of distributing merchandise in a unitized from therebypermitting an inter model transport system to be evolved providing a possible combination of rail, road, canal and maritime transport. With a view to saving time and cost while handling, loading, discharging and transporting, cargos are consolidated and made as huge a unit as possible (like 5 tons, 40tons etc) so that at every point of handling of the unit time is saved hence cost is saved. In case of Dabbawallas the unit load is maximum 80 Kgs per person. This system helps to increase many fold productivity in cargo handling by displaying labour. Moreover when unit load is bigger manual operation is not possible hence mechanical methods are introduced involving capital investment. Containers: The container as the meaning implies is equipment used to store and carry goods. In shipping the term was to refer to any of box used to carry. Presently also a container is known as box or van in many countries, particularly in U.S.A. The international organization for standardization (ISO) defined a freight container as: An article of transport equipment. Of a permanent character and accordingly strong enough by be suitable for repeated use:

72

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Specially designed to facilitate the carriage of goods by one or more modes of transport, without intermediate reloading; Fitted with devices permitting its ready handling particularly its transfer to another; So designed as to be easy to fill and empty; Having an internal volume of 1m3 (35.3cu.ft) or more.

Further the general-purpose freight container is defined as follows: A freight container is rectangular in shape, weatherproof used for transporting and storing a number of units loads packages or bulk material it confines and protects the contents from loss or damage it can be separated from the means of transport, handled as a unit load and transhipped without rehandling the contents. This was related to containerization in general. If we relate containerization with the Dabbawallas we get to see small metal containers enough to carry a Tiffin. If thecomparison is made between the two one can say that generally the containers are much bigger in size due to the products they carry, it also depends on the area of operations and the weather conditions and also the costs involved. What is Consolidation? Among the various definitions available, perhaps the definition given by Mr. P .K. Lim (ESCAP-Bangkok) is noteworthy: Consolidation or Groupage essentially means assembly of small parcels of cargo from several consignors at one point of origin, intended for several consignees at the point of destination and dispatching the consolidated consignment to the forwarders agent for delivery to the respective consignees. The forwarder issues his own Bill of Lading or receipt to the consignor of each parcel against the production of which delivery to the consignee will be affected at the destination. The individual consignors or consignees do not deal with the carrier direct. Sometimes a distinction is made between consolidation and Group age: Group age is a form of consolidation initiated by the consignee. When a big importer buys from several traders, he arranges for consolidation of his goods and the benefit solely goes to the importer and not to the shipper or the consolidator. The consolidator in

73

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex this case gets only the service charges. Consolidators do not own vessels or represent owners of carriers and often they d not own containers or other necessary equipments. They are known as Non- Vessel Owning / Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) operator. Such operators are numerous in the USA. They are also referred to as Multimodal Transport Operators (MTOS) when they assume responsibility for execution of multimodal transport contract, arranging with different modes of transport to carry thecontainers from the point of origin to the point of destination. This was related to consolidation m general If we relate it with the Dabbawallas we can observe that due to the area of operations, size of the products and the costs involved the consolidation of the Tiffins is much smaller in nature. Marketing Strategy Create Competitive Advantage with Logistics Why should your customers do business with you? Why should they want to do business with you? What makes you special? How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors? How do you position yourself to be a desired supplier? These are the types of questions businesses must address as they work to grow. 4Ps of Marketing One of the 4Ps, the marketing mix; of marketing management is the base for developing a dynamic competitive strategy. Product: This is very much required. Todays customers want choices, features, and options. The days of Henry Ford and a black model A are long gone. These choices create additional challenges with being able to forecast demands for the various products and options/features. Then once your product is established, then you have to look at additional incentives for your customers to want to buy from you. In case of Dabbawallas the product is the service, which they are offering, which is indeed successful here in Mumbai. Promotion: You have to have a way for others to learn of your products, create awareness. Advertising is one way. Advertising can be expensive and can be difficult to measure the direct impact and benefit of this. And customers are often overburdened with sales promotions that yours may be lost in all the promotional morass what exactly do you promote and why

74

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex In case of Dabbawallas they do not much need the promotion activity but also cant deny the fact that they will never need promotion ever again Price: This is to establish a value for your product, and for doing business with you. Price is the way to create revenues and profits. The danger with price is that if it is emphasized too much, you reduce your product to being a commodity, where price is the only way to distinguish your product from your competitors. The pricing of the Dabbawallas is very nominal, which is working best for all the people of all income groups. Place: This is logistics. Having your goods in the right place at the right time. And this is the area that has been underutilized in the marketing mix. Logistics effectiveness can be a way to become a desired supplier, build market recognition, handle the multiple products and options, create value-added, and set you apart from your competitors. In case of Dabbawallas the place matters the most as where the Tiffins have to be picked and where to be delivered and also ensure right delivery at the right time. Reason for Strategy Make competitive advantage through logistics excellence your strategy. Exploit logistics service and performance to set you apart from your competitors. It is a unique approach. Make it a core competency. Incorporate logistics as a critical element of your marketing and business strategy to grow your sales. Effective logistics can significantly contribute to positioning yourself as a Preferred Supplier. Product, promotion and price have been used for years by companies to develop recognition. Now its time to exploit and incorporatePlace, i.e., Logistics, as the base for a marketing and business strategy to grow the business and to gain market share. Customers would perceive that you provide a competitively superior value and service. That is a strong foundation for growth. Logistics presents a way to market yourself to customers. There is only so much that canbe done with promotion and price. A value-added logistics strategy is a strong way to be apreferred supplier because your customers are saying you are worth doing business with it. They say, We want to do business with you. You will grow

75

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex maybe even into portions of the market you had not reached before. Looking at it another way, you may have a great product, sound promotion efforts and a good price. But if you are difficult in doing business with, in fulfilling orders and timely and completely meeting customer requirements, you may not achieve maximum growth. You could even lose sales and market share with a poor logistics service. A marketing strategy based on logistics, and the customer benefits and service it brings, works whether your customers are domestic or international. You can be a market leader, not a follower. Be aggressive; be an innovator, not a reactor. When you are only reacting, instead of innovating, you have put yourself in the catch-up mode. As such, you maynever quite sure of what you should be doing and why. With this strategy, you position yourself as a valued supplier. Price issues, while always important, can be balanced with the service you provide. This can create opportunities for enhanced price opportunities. And if you are a preferred supplier, your customers recognize that. They promote you and what you bring to the table. With this strategy, you demonstrate to customers how important they are and how much you value them. Approach To develop the strategy, three assessments must be made--your customers and their requirements, your competitors and they perform, and your own performance. If you are in different markets with your products, then assess each market. They may be significant market and customer differences that must be recognized and understood. How do you compare? What are the opportunities to be a leader? How do you exploit the opportunities? Which customers can you work with to develop your strategy? With this assessment, you can better analyze and see what must be done to be a leader in logistics. At the minimum, you will have a better understanding of how competitive you are at servicing your customers. Part of this analysis should be a survey. Do not assume you know and understand what your customers want and need. That is a sure-fire recipe for a failed strategy.

76

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex With learning what they want, also learn why they want it done that way. That presents a solid method to develop a strategy that can meet and exceed their requirements. It is directly aligned to them. Make sure that, once you have concluded the assessments, you go back to discuss your findings and plans with key customers. The object here is meeting their needs; not what you think are their needs. Review your strategy and action plan with them. Get their feedback. Is your plan excellent? Will it gain you additional business? Assess your customers requirements: Study any and all written specifications that customers have already given you. Survey your customers. Meet with select customers. What do they expect and want from their suppliers? How do they want their orders, shipments and invoices handled? Why do they want it done that way? How well do you perform, in their eyes and their measurements? Does the service your competitors provide gain them business, at your expense? Does their performance impact key customers, a large number of customers, the potential for new customers? Are customers strongly satisfied with your performance? If so, why? If not, why not? Where are you strong and why? Where are you deficient and why? Are you consistently failing to meet customer needs? How serious are your failures, as perceived and defined by customers? Assess your competitors: You have to understand what you are up against in servicing customers. What do our competitors do? Gather market intelligence. Make your competitors performance part of your survey. How do your customers view your competitors? How do their logistics performances meet the needs of customers? How do their logistics performances compare with yours? Are there shortcomings in how well they service customers? If so, what are they? Are these short comings serious Are therestrengths m how well they service customers? Is so, what are they? Are these strengths ones which permit customers to overlook other problems with these competitors? Assess your internal capabilities: Self-assessment can be very difficult and

77

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex awkward Understand what makes a world-class logistics program Look at the elements needed. Develop an audit checklist then evaluate your operation. Assess and measure your product flows and information flows across the entire organization. Look at teamwork, systems, costs, and relationships with suppliers, carriers, customers and others. The purpose is not negative; the purpose is to know how well you perform, throughout andacross the organization. It will also help you determine what investments are needed to upgrade and improve your service to customers. It may also be valid to search for best logistics practices, regardless of industry served. Do not overlook them. Leading-edge practices have basis and application in any industry. Benchmark your performance, capabilities and limitations. It can be very useful in understanding your operation and to developing a market leader strategy. A marketing strategy based on logistics effectiveness should have two parts. First you must have a solid logistics program, leading-edge. Then you must be able to tailor to meet the requirements of individual customers. You cannot offer a vanilla approach. It is not enough to do logistics well. You must do what each of your customers demands. Standardized approaches to individual requirements are not satisfactory to customers. It must be based on a sound approach, then customized, aligned and responsive to thespecific needs of each customer. Through your success in meeting customer needs, you may opportunities to improve their logistics operation. This is a very good position for a supplier. In such instances, if youbecome truly good at your logistics performance, it is not inconceivable that customers may want you to manage some part of their logistics management. It would be like a category management of the customers logistics. Perspective Recognize that organizations are built from the inside out. They are designed to handle internal tasks and needs, purchasing, manufacturing, sales, accounting, logistics, and others. Some organization internal practices may work at crosspurposes or counter to theneeds of its outside customers. As such, company departments may feel attacked by customer comments or internal analysis. They may rationalize what customers say are problems or shortcomings in dealing with

78

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex you. You must get past these if you are to progress. Organizations are not built from the outside in. They were not designed by and for customers and satisfy their needs. This origin then creates the opportunities to better service customers by realigning the intent and purpose of the organization, across functional lines. If this organization genesis is not recognized, then the potential of this strategy will not be exploited to its fullest. Remember too, organizations, especially in certain corporate cultures, resist change. Shifting the focus to the outside, your customers, from inside, internal task, can be a significant organization change. This must be dealt with in the design and implementation of a market-leader logistics service capability. Designing the strategy is not enough. Youmust be able to implement it, put it into action. Everyone in the organization must participate in and clearly understand the strategy and plans. Results are the goal here, not just strategy. A last hint Position yourself as a preferred supplier. Use logistics as a cornerstone of your marketing strategy for growth. Understand what customers expect, how well your competitors perform and how well you operate. Find the ways to develop a strong logistics program, which meets and exceeds customer requirements. Reengineering your operation and developing a strong logistics capability is not an overnight fix. It takes time and commitment. Do not delay and miss the opportunity to grow customer satisfaction, sales and market share. And once you have begun this strategy and process, it does not stop Market and customer needs are constantly changing. Your ability to change, and lead the change, as a market leader is ongoing. You must constantly work to improve service, reduce time and reduce costs, as your customers require. Network Management in Short The focus of network management is on cooperation and trust and the recognition that properly managed whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. The management of upstream and downstream relationship with suppliers and customers to deliver superior customer value at less cost to the supply chain as a

79

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex whole is actually Network Management. Thus, the focus of network management is upon the management of relationships in order to achieve a more profitable outcome for all parties in the chain. This brings with it some significant challenges since there maybe occasions when the narrow self-interest of one party has to be subsumed fore the benefit of the chain as a whole. To achieve market leadership in the world of network, competition necessitates a focus on network management as well as upon internal processes. The various steps in the process of network management include:Network strategy during the phase, a company decides how to structure the supply chain. Strategic decisions made by the organizations will include location and capacities of production of service or manufacturing facility, modes of transportation involved, storage of inventory or giving tangibility to service and type of information system to be utilized. Network planning companies define a set of operating policies that govern short-term operations. The configuration in the strategy phase establishes constraints within which planning must be done. Thus, planning establishes parameters within which a network will function over a period of time. Demand, competition, environment, growth etc are Some of the factors that have to be given due importance Network operations the goal of supply chain operations is to implement operating policies in the best possible manner. During this phase, firms allocate individual orders to the entire chain and the order has to be carried out within the specified time. The objective is to reduce cost and provide superior customer value. CHAPTER 18 SIX SIGMA Six sigma is a highly structured approach to delivering very high levels of customer satisfaction through disciplined use of data and statistical analysis for maximizing and sustaining business success. The insistence of six sigma to rely on data rather than gutfeel for decision making means that counter-intuitive solutions are often

80

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex found. The goal of six sigma is to achieve very high levels of (internal and external) customer satisfaction. Better bottom-line performance, higher market share, and globally competitive positions result as a side benefit. Six sigma applies to all processes wherever work gets done, manufacturing or transactional, static or dynamic, linear or nonlinear, whether the work processes are in a university, in a Government department, or in the private sector. \ A six sigma process or transaction generates very low defect levels (3.45 per million opportunities for a single-sided specification). A defect is anything that results in customer dissatisfaction. Six sigma is, however a journey and not a destination meaning that defect rates will start coming down soon after embarking on six sigma although it will take many years to reach the six sigma defect levels. Really, six sigma is for life and so all must work and live the six sigma way. The six sigma approach, briefly summarized, is to articulate the problem, validate measurement systems, measure to determine current performance, determine the vital causes of variation, work on them to reduce defects, and monitor all variables so that problems once identified and fixed, stay fixed. This is accomplished in five phases: Scope, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and control. Six sigma has been embraced by a large number of corporations in diverse areas including Motorola, General Electric, Du Pont, CITIBANK, Dow Chemical, Conseco Financial Services, Sony, and many others. Six Sigma is a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. The Six Sigma process uses data and rigorous statistical analysis to identify "defects" in a process or product, reduce variability, and achieve as close to zero defects as possible. These Angootha chaaps (illiterate) who deliver 2,00,000 tiffins every day to offices and schools, make a mistake only about once every two months, That's one error in every 8 million deliveries, or 16 million if you include the return trip. This is thus a 6 Sigma performance a term used in quality assurance if the percentage of correctness is 99.999999(6 nines or more) the performance which has made companies like Motorola world famous for their quality. It was an unusual story by Forbes Global. A marked departure from its sought after macro-economic reviews and corporate analyses. The US-based business magazine recently zeroed in on

81

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Mumbais dabbawalla. The lunch logisticians who deliver 1.5 lakh (how much is that in kilogram?) lunch boxes to hungry office-goers every day have in the past found mention in the Indian press, but the Forbes story was the first time an international organization had analyzed them scientifically and rated them as if they comprised a corporate body. And theconclusions were more than flattering the dabbawallas scored a 6-Sigma performance rating. We not only launch our own satellites today but those of our foreign customers too, including Germany and Korea. All this is done for a budget that is just less than 7 per cent of a single company in the US. Shouldnt we be proud of this feat asked Dr. Mashelkar? Citing another example to illustrate that illiteracy doesnt mean that their innate potential is nil, he asked: What do global giants like General Electric and Motorola have incommon with a humble Tiffin delivery network comprising 3,500 dabbawallas, who deliver 1.5 lakh lunch boxes in Mumbai each day? The dabbawallas have the six-sigma rating or one error in one million transactions. They are largely illiterate but their business models have become a classroom study in some management institutes. They necessarily have to innovate to survive and to succeed he explained

CHAPTER 19 ELEMENT OF STRATEGY, SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWTH OPTIONS In this section, a conceptual understanding of competitive strategy of Dabbawallas and its elements is attempted. Based on these observations, the long term sustainability of Dabbawallas is explored. We conclude this section with possible growth options to Dabbawallas and its inherent limitations.

82

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex The Dabbawallas competitive strategy elements include identification of a long lasting customer segment or need, effective use of public infrastructure, standardized operating procedures, partnership with customer, motivated and empowered employees and an appropriate material flow tracking system. A brief detail of these elements follow. Perpetual Need: Dabbawallas caters to the basic yet perpetual demand of (serving) delivering home prepared (ethnic) food to Indian middle income executives working in Mumbai. The need is more acute because of long commuting time, congested traffic conditions and long travel distances. This market segment would exist for long time to come. The only erosion to this market size or need is from changing food habits of Indian middle income group executives. While this is a reality, the change is surely expected to be slow Therefore, in the immediate future, Dabbawallas is assured of its business so long as it can meet customer expectations on delivery and price (service charges). Value Pricing: The core to Dabbawallas operational efficiency is the well managed Mumbai metro rail network. On any scale of comparison, for its wider reach and frequency of operations, the members of Dabbawallas use the rail network for a nominal price. The 5000 members are paid a reasonable compensation. The entire sets of operations (Dabbawallas) are manual. All these contribute to lower operational cost and hence a reasonable price (or value pricing) to the consumers. Complemented by a large customer base, satisfied customers and an ever increasing working class population at Mumbai, this business model is a passport to perpetual growth. Standard Operating Procedures: Dabbawallas over a period of time has evolved as an outstanding example of standard operating procedure. There is no uncertainty in the delivery model at any stage. The individual member's role is clearly articulated. The information flow to track material (codification system) is perfect. Members are empowered in task execution. There is an element of internal competition: multiple teams in the same geographical location are operational to generate additional business volume. Fair business practices (equal compensation) and joy of work,

83

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex pride in activity, fun mixed with work break the monotonicity in the standard operating procedure in Dabbawallas. Partnership with stakeholders: There are three important stakeholders groups with whom Dabbawallas enjoys an excellent relationship. The first set is its primary customers. They support Dabbawallas in meeting no delay in delivering lunch boxes and accepting delivery at the floor level in the destination locations. The members are delighted to work for Dabbawallas (supported by empowerment, compensation and an economic activity for livelihood). The commuting public at large is tolerant to the inconveniences caused to them by Dabbawallas in the already over crowded, over stretched urban transport system. Over a period of time, Dabbawallas has become an essential element of modern Mumbai. Operational excellence: Dabbawallas has a remarkable and enviable quality record. This is a combination of flexible infrastructure, adequate buffer in material handling, reasonable and achievable service level specifications, elaborate and efficient codificationsystem, self motivated and empowered employees, dynamic and flexible deployment of members to execute a given task, adopting a variety and mix of transportation models, and commitment to work ethics. Structure: Dabbawallas operating structure is elegant, appropriate and enhances its operational excellence based business model. As discussed earlier the 3 tier structureensures operational details are delegated to the most appropriate level. The structureprovides for redundancy in team members and hence volume flexibility on lunch boxes handled by the system. The business integration happens at the group level. Broadly eachgroup is self sufficient and has to manage its own operational income, volume and hence profitability. Any other centralized structure to supervise operations would have made the process inherently ineffective (expensive) and less responsive to customer needs. Performance measures: Dabbawallas performance measures are real time transactions based. As a matter of fact every transaction is monitored in terms of its collection, transportation, and delivery. Revenue collection is periodic and systematic. Employee (member) productivity is volume based. Compensation is equal; group based and is a function of revenue generated. Given internal

84

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex competition at the group level this model is self corrective. Broadly there are no fixed assets. Therefore assets productivity is irrelevant in Dabbawallas. The performance of Dabbawallas is closely linked to the near automation (standardization) of the process. There are inherent buffers to manage and accommodate unanticipated risks in the system. Customer focus: Dabbawallas is a service organization focused on customer expectation management. The service is priced low to attract and retain relevant customer segment and base. The process is capable enough in the context of assurances made to customers. The Dabbawallas has elevated the purpose of their business to an opportunity to provide food (higher order objective than transport logistics support to deliver lunch boxes). The discipline, empowerment, commitment to work of members are all consequences of this higher order objective in meeting customer expectations.

CHAPTER 20 What is unique about Dabbawallas? There are several complimentary aspects of Dabbawallas which render it as unique and hence protects it from competition. The first and most critical is a business proposition based on inexpensive and reliable public infrastructure. This coupled with a formidable volume (of business) Dabbawallas has built up over a period of time,

85

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex provides an unparalleled advantage to Dabbawallas. The topography of Mumbai (and client locations) and need for home based food (preference) are important contextual uniqueness. The Dabbawallas model is scalable. The logistics activities are member driven. The day to day operations are managed at the member level which provides harmony, synergy and symphony. The tracking mechanism is an innovative (and inexpensive) variation of online tracking system. Because of its innovation the tracking cost is negligible The Dabbawallas annual revenue is Rs. 360 million. The sheer size, scalable nature of operations, modular structure, customer service and negligible errors has kept thecompetition away from this attractive business proposition. Dabbawallas is essentially a homogeneous product flow system in a linear topography. The present model may not be effective if any of the above conditions are not valid. There is a tolerance and sympathy shown by (Mumbai rail) commuting public to Dabbawallas which may not be feasible in anotl1er context. The simple codification system which tracks the lunch boxes would be a serious constraint to handle multiple products in more than one direction. There is an attempt to use the Dabbawallas infrastructure to do market research etc. This is at best a temptation. Dabbawallas caters to a specific market and customer segment. Therefore any market research activity based on this would inherently have less universal applicability. Also, for the members of Dabbawallas (because of their limited educational background) such activities may be a stretch. Therefore in our view, the growth for Dabbawallas would be volume based and is constrained to either Mumbai alone or cities which are very similar to Mumbai, in terms of infrastructure and traffic patte. CHAPTER 21 CONCLUSION Medge was scheduled to address the faculty and students of the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow in early January 2004 on how the dabbawalla meal distribution network worked. HE was aware that this audience would be interested in

86

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex the learning that the dabbawallas could provide to improve supply chain and service-design and execution. He was aware that it was likely that most of the audience would have concerns about the future of the dabbawallas. Since he anticipated being asked about that concern, Medge already knew what he was going to say in response: The dabbawalla is a Mumbai institution that has survived for over a century now. It will survive for the next century and beyond. There will of course be a churning of customers. But children will continue to go to school, people will continue to go to work, everyone feels hungry at lunch hour and, if given a choice, everyone wants to have home-cooked food delivered personally to them. Dabbawallas facilitate that choice. We will continue to be there as Long as people exercise that choice. We will continue to be there because no one can provide the kind of error-free service that we provide. We have described in detail the Dabbawallas. We review the business model, factors behind such outstanding practices, elements of the business strategy, opportunities and limitations for its growth. Dabbawallas creates a sense of pride and a source of inspiration to managers and academicians (world class). Dabbawallas has perfected its systems and procedures to handle large volume of operations with negligible errors (six sigma). Dabbawallas operations are modular; they are scalable and flexible enough to handle volume (Flexible business strategy). Dabbawallas operations are customer centric, employee driven, and value based. Dabbawallas is an example where flexibility in operational procedure takes precedence over precision (prioritized objectives). The output accuracy (the number of transactions delivered on time) is supported by flexible infrastructure and time buffers in the delivery system (Strategy enablers). The management practices at Dabbawallas are intuition based (codification system, homogeneous employee background, innovative Human Resource

87

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex practices etc.). Several contextual factors are combined to develop an excellent business model (inexpensive manpower availability, need for home food, urban transport infrastructure, unique traffic flow pattern etc.). Dabbawallas has no unique scientific and or technological breakthroughs or competences. It is an excellent business model based on an innovative approach to satisfy a real (and unique) customer need (Innovation based strategy). The Forbes article on the dabbawalla has generated international interest and added to the visibility of the dabbawallas. This article has been translated in the regional Marathi press and, as conversations with dabbawallas reveal, they have been read by a large number of dabbawallas themselves, adding to their self-esteem. This recognition from the West is perhaps deflecting their attention away from the threats posed by globalisation. This is, perhaps, also the explanation for the upbeat mood of people like Talekar of the Mumbai Tiffin Suppliers Association. This is an excerpt from a speech by R.A. Mashelkar, Director-General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, India at the 80th Convocation of the Delhi University. It reveals how the dabbawalla system is becoming an icon of national pride in certain circles. Faculty member in the Department of Industrial Administration at the Carnegie Mellon University, Paul Goodman along with Denise Rousseau has made a film on the dabbawalla system that has become a tool at management schools. The dabbawalla as an icon of national pride and achievement comes out most strikingly in the fact that the dabbawalla system was listed in India Today as being among the 55 things that make India proud. (India Today) Dabbawalla.com is the website of an Indian lunch service in Manhattan. The website incorporates the six-sigma rating that the dabbawalla system has been accredited with along with the picture of a dabbawalla in Mumbai. While the picture lends authenticity to the Manhattan dabbawalla services, it is legitimized through the six-sigma rating by Forbes Global. Secondly, the

88

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex simple meal of the middle/working class client of the dabbawalla gets exoticised in the more elaborate menu of the Manhattan lunch service, Inspite of being a cheap $5.00 takeaway. This quote from Salman Rushdies Satanic Verses sees the dabbawallas humble task of delivering the lunch-box as a metaphor for the Archangels purpose of delivering the word of God. If the Satan of globalisation i.e. the McDonaldisationin this case does decide to interject verses into the Mumbai dabbawallas head thereby affecting their 6-sigma rating, then will it be the transformative potential of the Varkaris that will come to their rescue. In a dabbawallas tray, a Brahmins rice jostles along with a low-caste chapatti; a Hindus vegetable curry with a Muslims mutton korma and thus, in a way, the dabba system dissolves the barriers of caste, class and community which havent been entirely demolished from Indian society.

CHAPTER 22 LIST OF ANNEXURES QUESTIONNAIRE Siddharth College of Commerce and Economics

89

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Anand bhavan, Dr. Dadabhai Navroji road, Fort, Mumbai - 400 023. Questionnaire prepared for the study of DABBAWALLAS at Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust and Association and their MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. Project by: Mrs. PRIYANKA.S.N.RAI, as part of the FIFTH Semester Project work, 2008 2009 of the University of Mumbai, under the guidance of Prof. (Mrs.) DEVIKA.S.SURYAWANSHI This project study is purely of an academic nature. The information provided herewith will be used for research purposes.

Information Name: Place: Designation:... 1. Who are the dabbawallas?

90

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex 2. What is the type of service provided by the dabbawallas? 3 What is the history of the dabbawallas? 4. What is the name of the association of the dabbawallas? . 5. What is the organizational structure? 6. What are the rules and policies of the dabbawallas? 7. What is the function of the organization? 8. What is the pricing of this service? 9. Who are the clients? 10. What is the number of clients? 11. What is the rate of error?

91

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex 12. What happens if the Tiffin gets lost? 13. What is the distribution network process? 14. How do you identify the destination and origin of the Dabbas? 15. Does the organization provide any benefits to its members? 16. What do you do if someone remains absent? 17. What is the total number of members? 18. What are the vehicles used to transport the dabbas? 19. What if the railways are not working? 20. What is the remuneration system?

92

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex 21. What are the problems faced by the dabbawallas nowadays? 22. What are the awards and felicitations given to the dabbawallas? 23. What is the effect of all the recognition the dabbawallas have received?

ACHIEVEMENTS, AWARDS AND FELICITATION Shri Varkari Probhodhan Mahasamati Dindi (Palkhi) Sohala 4th march 2001 Documentaries NDTV. made by BBC ,UTV, MTV, ZEE TV, AAJ TAK, TV TODAY,SAHARA SAMAY, STAR TV, CNBC TV 18, CNN, SONY TV, TV TOKYO,

93

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex

CASE STUDY ICFAI Press Hyderabad Richard Ivey School of Business Ontario Invitation from CII for conference held in Bangalore, IIML, IIMA, CIICochin, CII Delhi, Dr. Reddys Lab Foundation Hyderabad, SCMHRD Pune, SCMHRD Nasik, Sadahana Pune. Included in a subject in Graduate School of Journalism University of California, Berkeley Radio German Radio Network Radio Mirchi Radio Mid-day FM- Gold BBC Radio

Was invited for the Terra Madre World meeting of food communities between October 20-23, 2004. We were part of the Community of Cooked Food distributors from Mumbai. Invited to marriage of Hon. Price Charles of England on 9, April 2005. Registered with Ripley's believe it or not.

WORKING COMMITTEES Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Suppliers Charity Trust Reg. No. - A842. P. N

94

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Working Committee 2005 2009 1 2 3 Raghunath D. Medge Sambhaji G. Medge Gangaram L. Talekar President Vice President General Secretary

4 5

Damodar M. Pingle Jaysingh S. Phapale

Treasurer Member

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Laxman R. Kadam Daval B. Tambe Babanrao M. Bacche Maruti K. Sawant Jayram B. Inpure\ Arjun S. Thakur Shankarrao D. Kalhatkar Babanrao D. Jaachak

Mumbai Jeevan Dabba Vahatuk Mandal Reg. No.126.68 Regd under Act XXXI of 1860 G.B.C.S.D F 1940 Association 2005 2009 1 Supanrao L.More President

Ramchandra B. Sathe

Vice President

95

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex 3 Babanrao B. Valunj Treasurer

Balasaheb .B. Khengale

Secretary

Eknath M. Margaj

Member

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Chiman N. Gole Dynaeshwar G. Padir Dhondiba K. Choudhary Sudamrao M. Sakore Laxman P. Takave Yamanaji S. Ghule Baban J. Talekar Arjun S. Kumbhar

Mumbai Jeevan Dabba Vahatuk Mandal Lavaad (Panch) Committee 2005 2009 1 2 3 4 5 Dattatrya R. Bacche Dattatrya L. Kathatkar Chiman N. Gole Baban N. Kadam Namdev T. Medge Dashrath M. Paradhi 96 Chief Panch

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Sonu D.Aawari Subhash K. Jachak Ramu D. Shinde Narayan V. Jon Vithalrao G. Dide Sudam G.Vir Somnath M. Shirke Suresh G. Shivekar Bhagaji S. Yadav Devram B. Kalhatkar Govind B. Mandekar Secretary

ROYAL VISIT Prince Charles honored us by his visit on the 4th of November, 2003. He spent 20 minutes with us. He took keen interest in our way of functioning, expressed surprise at our efficiency and was struck with awe when he was told that we didnt employ any technology. The prince was presented a small memento, accompanied with a garland, a Gandhi topi and a trophy by the dabbawallas. British High Commission official said the idea was to show him something

97

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex that was unique to Mumbai. "I don't think any other city anywhere in the world or even India has such a system,"

BIBLOGRAPHY Raghunath Medge enabled me to understand the Dabbawallas operations. This project would not have been possible but for the support and co-operation extended by him. This is gratefully acknowledged. BOOKS 1. Logistics and Supply Chain Management Strategies for reducing Cost and Improving Service by Martin Christopher. 2. Supply Chain Management by Sunil Chopra and Peter Meindl. MAGAZINES AND ARTICLES 1. World Class Logistics Operations: The case of Bombay dabbawallahs by N. 98

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex Ravichandran 2. The Charioteers of Meals by Maria Shamai, JetWings dated June 2003 3. Food Chain Dynamics by Dipayan Baishy, Business Today dated 19 January 2003 4. The Wonder of Tiffin- Patiwala Network Management in Mumbai by Devanshu Desai and Mr. Ajit Popat, Chitralekha dated 30 April 2001.
th

th

5. Pizzazz for the Prince, a royal banquet by the bay, The Economic Times dated 4 November, 2003.
th

6. Delivering the Goods by Sandeep Unithan, India Today dated 4 June

th

2001. 7. Midday dated 4 November 2003

th

WEBSITES http://www.sixsigmaquality.com http://web.mid-day.com http://www.ciionline.org http://www.hindu.com http://www.rediff.com http://www.bschool.nus.edu.sg www.linny.org/forum www.managementparadise.com SEARCH ENGINES www.google.com www.yahoo.com

99

Dabbawallas: Simply Complex www.askjeeves.com

100