The silver bicycles of the dabbawallasThis is a truly wonderful posting from Anshuman Harshwardhan's blog.
4,000 to 5,000 dabbawalas, wearing white caps and riding silver bicycles, deliver 150,000 to 200,000 lunches on time from peoples homes to their offices every day with 99.99 percent accuracy (with a Six Sigma quality certification from the International Quality Federation). The tiffin boxes are returned to the homes via a reverse logistics system in the afternoon. People in Mumbai can sign up for the service via the mydabbawalla.com website. The system involves transportation of the boxes via the Mumbai railroad system, with sorting centers at each station to send the tiffin boxes on the right routes!
According to The Economist:
AS THE warrior king who defeated the Mughals and founded the Maratha empire of Western India in the 17th century, Shivaji Bhosle is remembered as a tactical genius as well as a benevolent ruler. The direct descendants of his Malva-caste soldiers are also developing a reputation for organisational excellence. Using an elaborate system of colour-coded boxes to convey over 170,000 meals to their destinations each day, the 5,000-strong dabbawala collective has built up an extraordinary reputation for the speed and accuracy of its deliveries. Word of their legendary efficiency and almost flawless logistics is now spreading through the rarefied world of management consulting.Comment: What a great example of a knowledge system of exquisite accuracy developed by in an unexpected quarter with the simplest technology. JAD
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