“Five thousand Dabbawalas
200,000 Dabbas
Six Sigma Certified
ISO Certified
Most are Illiterate
Lecture MBAs”
This is the welcome message on the home page of the dabbawalas’ website. It is, like the organization, deceptively simple. A “dabba,” in local Indian parlance, is a lunch box or tiffin with home cooked food; the person who delivers it is called the “dabbawala.” The name, however, has long lost its generic connotation and is associated with one of the most innovative organizations worldwide in supply chain management: the dabbawalas. With a fan club that includes Prince Charles and Richard Branson, the dabbawalas are a brand to reckon with. What started as a service during the British colonial rule has evolved into a brand that symbolizes low cost innovation, teamwork, and brilliance in operational efficiency.............
The organization has become symbolic of Mumbai’s culture, and the dabbawalas themselves have structured their own narrative as an indigenous brand that thrives on little technology and basic infrastructure. They claim to be the descendants of soldiers of the legendary Maharashtrian warrior-king Shivaji, and belong to the Malva caste—a legacy that is well in sync with their highly indigenous operations. Donning Gandhi caps and regularly getting together for cultural ceremonies, the dabbawalas both draw upon and contribute to the cultural fabric of Mumbai................
The mainstay of the entire organization is these workers-turned-shareholders. This uneducated workforce of men, with very little exposure to technology, has become the most potent brand ambassadors of the organization, with unflinching standards of teamwork and customer service. There is only one error in every 600,000 deliveries—a service standard which has earned them the Six Sigma Certification for Quality. Such has been their impact that leading business schools like Stanford and the Indian Institutes of Management (the premier Asian B Schools) invite them for lectures and workshops on supply chain management and teamwork...............
Leading brands in India—in an effort to increase their own brands' outreach and goodwill within the local consumer marketplace—have started exploring synergies with the dabbawalas. Microsoft, for example, used the dabbawalas to promote its Windows package for a campaign called “Asli PC,” meaning “Genuine PC.” Microsoft could not have found a better channel in Mumbai for reinforcing the value of authenticity associated with its brand. Media conglomerates and financial and telecom service providers have also used the dabbawalas as agents for direct marketing. Airtel, India’s leading telecom provider, used the network of dabbawalas to deliver and promote handsets, new connections, and pre-paid user cards.
According to the Trust’s President, these campaigns have been successful because “The dabbawalas are a brand that is synonymous with trust and commitment. I believe this is the reason why most reputed organizations like to associate with us.” For instance, in a gesture that underscores the trust and credibility that these workers carry on their shoulders, the Mumbai State owned Corporation Bank appointed the dabbawalas as its brand ambassadors and entrusted them with the task of account opening activities. Furthermore, Reliance, one of India's top most companies, recently used them to promote its Reliance Power IPO. ..............
Article By :
Preeti Chaturvedi is a Delhi University Topper with a Masters Degree in English Literature from Miranda House. A media and marketing enthusiast, she is currently pursuing an Executive Program in Sales and Marketing from IIM Calcutta. As a writer, she has contributed to magazines like Business and Economy, 4Ps: Business and Marketing; online portals like moneycontrol.com, BWonline.com;newspapers like The New Indian Express. She has also contributed an essay on branding to a book being published by ICFAI press. She is currently working on a research project on "Blogging in India". Her areas of special interest are marketing, popular culture and social media.She blogs at http://chaturvedipreeti.wordpress.com. She can be reached at preeti.chaturvedi@gmail.com
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