Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Anuradha Chepur]

Dabbawalas are a group of 5000 illiterate / barely literate people in Mumbai, who provide the service of transporting lunch boxes from people�s homes to their offices and then the empty boxes back to their homes, on a daily basis. They convey 200,000 boxes every day from and to different corners of Mumbai, via a supply chain that use bicycles at user ends and local trains for the rest of the journey, in a busy and overcrowded city, where people have to spend on an average 2 � 4 hours traveling to and from work.

All they use is some color coding, deliver punctually in rain or sun without mixing up boxes and make only one or two mistakes in 2-3 months, i.e., they operate at six sigma level quality, while levying nominal charges for their service. Top B-schools invite them to give lectures in management.

As opposed to, for instance a high-tech online shop. I shopped twice, they caused a helluva lot of delay and delivered me the wrong product both times. Unless they also have operations as large in number, and those were the only two mistakes in one million opportunities, and by some kind of strange coincidence both those mistakes happened on me.

[Bob S.]

[sodia]

Ive recently learned of this occupation and i think its is GREAT that this class in Indian society has thought up such a great means of living and earning income. They must be in demand! as they are doing very well.

[AnaMilena]

Wow! I've never heard or read about this, but it's really interesting! It's a great example of eagerness and a well-thought strategy of work. From your post, I can tell their work is flawless, perhaps some occasional mistakes, but overall their work must be remarkable. And there are lots of benefits from the way they operate!

I wish large companies and industries would learn from them in every possible way!
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