MARKETING

Published on April 4th, 2008 | by drkkr

2

Indian Logistics Lesson

Mumbai is a big city extended up to 74 kilometers. The employees reside at one corner and offices are at another corner. They reach office only if they start before Sun- rise. What about their mid day meal? Some of them might not be having financial capability to go to hotels. The food in hotels may not be as per their taste and requirement. For such employees Dabawalas are the ray of hope. They are supplying homely food to Lakhs of Mumbai citizens. The dabbawala originated when a person named Mahadeo Havaji Bachche started the lunch delivery service with about hundred men. Nowadays, Indian businessmen are the main customers for the dabbawalas, and the service often includes cooking as well as delivery. Here is a clutch of statistics that reveals the task that the dabbawallas are up to. * History: Started in 1880 * Avg. Literacy Rate: 8th Grade Schooling * Avg. area coverage: 60 Km per Tiffin Box * Employee Strength: 5000 * Number of Tiffin’s: 200000 Tiffin Boxes i.e. 400000 transactions every day. * Time taken: 3 hrs (9 am – 12 pm delivery of carriers, 2 pm – 5 pm collection of empty carriers) * Cost of service: Rs.200/month * Turnover: Rs.50 crore per month approx. The dabbawalas have received recognition worldwide, especially after Prince Charles visited the Mumbai Church gate Station to interact with them after they got the Six Sigma certification. However, certifications matter little to the dabbwala. What is more important to him is that the dabba should reach the customer and he or she should feel satisfied. The New York Times reported in 2007 that the 125 year old dabbawala industry continues to grow at a rate of 5-10% per year. They have been ranked by Forbes magazine at par with Motorola and general electric company for quality assurance. All those employed with dabbawalas are simple men who wear white shirts and pants and Gandhi caps stun the corporate with their commitment in spite of not having great marketing budget. This simple but complex business model was adopted by big MNCs only to withdraw their services. It is not just the leader of our nation Gandhi but also the men who wear his cap and work passionately seems to be INVINCIBLE.

Tags: , , , , ,


About the Author


2 Responses to Indian Logistics Lesson

  1. Pingback: JET LAG !! | Brandthinkmarketingdo.com

  2. bonaire says:

    Very good written article. It will be helpful to anybody who usess it, including myself. Keep up the good work – can’r wait to read more posts.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to Top ↑

UA-32342368-1