No... No.... No...!

Driving through Maoist heartland,

 I felt bladder pressure. Driver refused to stop car. Instead, says: do it inside the car. I’ll wash it later with phenyl.” Why? Why?

FEAR is real!

ARUP CHANDA, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

 

“Stop the car.”

“No.”

“What!” I exclaimed.

I badly want to take a bathroom. leak.

We have left the hotel too early and I was in a hurry as the man whom I have to meet had called me thrice as he has reached the coal mine where we are supposed to meet.

We had left Ranchi, the state capital Jharkhand around 7 am, after taking a bypass crossed a crowded vegetable mandi at Mandar. Since then I was feeling uneasy.

We were on National Highway 75.

National Highway 75 is 1,175 kms long and links Parsora in Orissa to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. The 147 km stretch between Gwalior and Jhansi has been selected as part of the north-south corridor by the National Highways Development Project.

On both sides were jungles and not a single human being could be sighted so I thought this was the perfect place and I was carrying toilet paper too.

I literally slapped on the driver’s shoulder and asked him, “Have I hired you or you are going to pay me end of the day? If you don’t stop immediately I am going to call your owner just now and will not pay you a single pie.”

My threat did not work. In fact, he increased the speed and the jungles on both sides became dense.

“Sir, there are some newspapers on the back. You do your bathroom on the floor of the car. Once we reach North Karanpura I will clean the vehicle with phenyl but not stop the car,” replied Sagar sporting a Hrithik Roshan style hair style and wearing jeans and T-shirt with crocodile logo.

“You might even throw the shit on my face but even then I will not park the vehicle here. Are seeing any truck or any car stopping here?” he asked.

I came to know the reason after reaching a place called Khalari where a the local correspondent of Prabhat Khabar Vinod Pandey was waiting for me.

We finished our business about my story on coal in North Karanpura Coalfields within few hours and went for lunch on a road side dhaba called, Jheel Restaurant.

The dhaba overlooked a huge pond which one would think was a mini sea and the water was blue and a cool breeze was blowing even on a sunny and hot afternoon though the air was full of coal dust.

The sky was blue, the water was clear but everything under the sun was evil as I came to know the story of the highway in Jharkhand from the truck drivers who had stopped by for “dal tarka, roti” with onion, green chilli and pickle on charpoys with Haywards 5000.

Though there were plastic tables with chairs they preferred to sit with folded legs on the “khatias” with a wooden plank in between which served as a table.

Those who could afford were having “desi” chicken fry as they hated “faram” chicken meaning broilers.

The first thing Pandey did was to warn me that I should not mention that I had come on behalf of a foreign newspaper. I should say I have come as a reporter of Bengali newspaper from Kolkata.

Pandey, a Brahmin from Uttar Pradesh, is a teetotaler and I hate strong beer. So I sent Sagar to fetch some lager beer for us. Some of Pandey’s friends who owned trucks for local transport of coal were also there to meet me and be my host.

The long distance drivers hence had already leant about my arrival.

The drivers passed lewd jokes of not being able to digest strong beer about my potency as a male!

The first thing I asked was for a place to relieve myself. I was lucky that I was given an iron bucket with an iron mug but to go to the field behind the dhaba. Having worked in the north east region of the country for a long time during the height of insurgency it was nothing new to me.

As we poured beer in tea glasses and started drinking with fried pea nuts and fried desi chicken I mentioned about Sagar not stopping the car on our way to Khalari near the jungles where the stretch was desolate.

Ramashish Das, a truck driver who hails from Madhubani in north Bihar and regularly plies between Ranchi and Gwalior, was aghast. “Saab, aap pagal hain!” (Sir, are you mad?)

“That is one of the stretches where we drive at break neck speed. Inside the jungles are Maoist hideouts. It depends when they will suddenly come armed with AK 47s and grenades and stop all trucks and demand cash,” he said.

Like Das, other drivers too narrated their experiences.

The 447 km stretch on NH75 is out of bound for any vehicle after sunset and before sunrise. The police itself does not allow because of the Maoist problem. The Maoists have the local tribal support too and that is why they can attack during the day time too particularly in stretches which have dense jungle and inhabited by tribals.

Most fleet owners other than cash to be paid as bribes to police and RTOs provide Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 to given to Maoists if their vehicles are waylaid.

“They are not interested in the goods or harming us. They will simply blow up the truck with the goods. They need the cash to buy weapons, ammunitions and their supplies,” said Sonu Singh who once had the experience two years ago and had to walk back to Ranchi along with the pamphlets the Maoists gave him.

The Maoists at times are sympathetic too. They give time to the drivers of they know they are not carrying cash but have mobile phones.

“They will give us an hour or so to speak to someone in Ranchi, Palamau or Daltonganj whichever place is near and arrange for cash to be delivered. But if the time runs out by a minute they will blow up the vehicle. At times, our maliks did arrange for cash within half an hour. None dares to inform the police and take such risks because they will ultimately trace the truck owner and gun him down,” said Singh.

But more than the Maoists are highway bandits who in the garb of Maoists loot trucks.

“They are much more dangerous. They will hijack the truck and take it deep inside the jungle. Torture the driver and take away whatever cash he is carrying and leave him there in half dead condition. They usually target vehicles carrying pharmaceutical goods, tyres, FMCG, durable consumer goods, which can be easily sold in open market,” said Ajoy Mishra who happens to be from Orissa.

These bandits are in league with the police and it is an organized racket, it is alleged. The goods are taken in a different truck to secret warehouses and easily find their way to wholesalers who sell them at a concession to retailers.

Then is the story of local transporters who transport coal.

They have to pay a levy each month to the Maoists.

Last year the Maoist in North Karanpura Coalfields launched an attacked and burnt down 17 trucks belonging to private contractors to teach them a lesson.

“We cannot operate without paying them as they feel we are exploiting the region,” said Sonu Pandey from Ranchi who owns two trucks ferrying coal from the open cast mines to the loading stations where it is put in the rakes.

Abdullah Ansari, who drives a Tata Safari, has to pay extra as he also has a contract with Central Coalfield Limited, to load coal from the open cast mines.

I was taking notes and oblivious of the time. But not Sagar.

“Sir, the sun is about to set, So, its time for us to leave immediately.” He said.

I could not agree more!

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chandaarup@gmail.com

Salute to you, Mr Supply Chain Manager!

ARUP CHANDA, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Urban Indians, salute our supply chain managers for your daily needs!

Psychiatrists and fitness experts say, on an average, a human being needs at least eight hours of sleep a night to remain healthy and that also increases one’s longevity of life.

Guess, on an average, how many hours does a supply chain manager sleep in a day?

Only four!

“By the time I reach home after dealing with my clients in the USA, it’s past midnight. Even while having a bath and then dinner …  calls keep coming. Ultimately when I hit my bed, it’s around 2 AM. By 6 AM, I have to be kicking to get ready and move for office and while traveling in the car file reports to my bosses about the last nights developments,” says Sumit Sharma , supply chain management with India operations of a multinational company.

Sumit has been associated with the MNC’s India operations for the last five years in materials management module and has worked for many global clients in cosmetics, FMCG and pharmaceuticals industries for their specialized software initiatives in the role of business analyst for both release and support activities.

Additionally he has performed the transition management for an international brand of cosmetics for one of their special projects before migrating to his present job.

Before that he had industry exposure of supply chain management for around five years, the last of which culminated in his taking charge as National Logistics Head position for an Indian corporate.

At 33, Sumit looks middle aged with half his hair gone and a salt and pepper moustache. It is sheer stress and tension which has taken a toll on him.

Married with a son, Sumit has a “trade off” with his wife for this kind of a life!

“I have to deliver fast and on time irrespective of any kind of problem. If I fail, my company has to pay a penalty fee according to the contract my company has with its clients worldwide,” he says but with pride as his success rate is more than 98 percent.

“I am no exception. The story is the same with all supply chain manager all over the world. But in third world countries, it is tougher because of lack of infrastructure and a proper and disciplined system,” he remarks modestly as we sat on a bench outside his office in south Kolkata drinking tea without milk and puffing our cigarettes.

“I can’t have milk in my tea as it upsets my tummy. We have a first class canteen serving all kinds of delicacies but I can only look … but not eat!” says Sumit with a laugh.

Gone are those days when in our childhood we would see the milkman coming with a cow and milk her in front and offer the warm milk in our container. Later when milk bottling plants were set up in big cities bottled milk would either be delivered outside the doorstep very early morning or we as teenagers would go to the milk booths with special kinds of wire baskets and fetch them.

Today, when we go to a departmental store either to buy a carton of milk or fruit juice, toothpaste, or to a pharmacy to get a life saving drug or even to get timely delivery of our favourite limousine – it is the supply chain manager who is the hero backstage and not the brand ambassadors!

Before getting into the field of logistics I always thought it were the retailers and traders who deserved the credit for timely supplies.

Today, at Charnock City, a departmental store in Salt Lake, which had run out of Snickers chocolates and Lay’s Onion and Sour Cream potato chips, I met a young teenager who was thrilled to get them after weeks and thanked the young woman at the counter.

I told him, “Don’t thank her, but the supply chain managers,” much to the angry look on the woman’s face. The young boy had no clue.

So I took his e-mail ID and asked him read this story when it appears.

Like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had said: “Give me blood and I will give you freedom,” the motto of supply chain managers like Sumit seems to be – “Give me any product and I will deliver it to you on time.”

Cheers to all our supply chain managers because of whom, despite all odds urban India is surviving!

Send your feedback to chandaarup@gmail.com

Game Changer!

Between the blistering heats outside to the furnace like enclosure of warehouses,an unsung story of warehousing is slowly unfolding across  the East. While people have given scant recognition to this profession in the past, it is poised to be a game changer for all yearning for a  piece of untapped business potential in the east and north east, opines Anindya Gupta of IBM, Kolkota

 

Traditionally warehousing has been one of the activities of select  business families who started off as stockists and distributors who  were cajoled to offer these services as a value add by the larger  business houses. Among them came a few exceptional first generation entrepreneurs as well as failed manufacturers whose factory sheds were lying vacant after they went bust in the seventies and eighties.

So what do we have today?  There are defunct granaries which are being rebuilt, cold storages which have been converted into warehouses,  factory sheds highly prized inside the city area and outside, and then  some!  This is what is on offer in terms of billable warehousing space for business houses for stockade; available at unheard of premiums.  The same is truer for filling up the gaps in hub &spoke model for  small C grade towns that are the last mile spending hubs for the  booming middle class.

Understand that along with warehouse space providers have emerged  warehouse service providers, logistics service providers, material handing equipment sellers, manpower contractors and the techies who  all are still trying to figure out a long term vision in the grand scheme of things.

Talk to average warehouse man about your troubles in finding the right infrastructure, or the one perfect warehouse that was described in the  check list that came from the head office and you will find his eyes  soft with empathy. The check list is not Martian in nature but it does talk about a clear approach to the road, enclosed to open space  ratios, dock heights, regular dimensions etc something which may be  very basic to the planned operation.

Another major obstacle that east will face for years to come is the  apathy of multiple governments to this essential cog of the business  machine. Many of the warehouses have no security or infrastructure in terms of roads, potable water and electricity to run a sustained  operation.

Let us put some more perspective. The security services that we hire are seldom trained on basic logistic practices as to what  needs to be done when a vehicle / individual leaves or enters the  premises. Same is also true for the basic logistics operator. For most of the courses offered by the logistics institutes none of them  prepare the practitioner for what awaits him or her in the warehouse.

None prepare you for what the industry/ trade expects one to know in  terms of inbound, outbound and internal warehouse processes like stock  reconciliation, load planning, slotting, basic house keeping, kiting  etc. So the hard advice to them is GET REAL!

Govt Apathy

The government apathy becomes more apparent also because there does not seem to be a strong warehousing lobby that would work to define  modern warehousing road map and the way government could come up  to  help at the centre and the state. Of course, setting up logistic parks  are a step in the right direction and but to make them grow is another  story.

The best indicator may be to find out the increase in employment numbers as a whole on a yearly basis along with the revenue  generation. What more can be done? Also involve them in disaster  management drills as they are simply the best wherever they are.

 All is not lost though. Companies are trying out new avenues in terms of financing capital for a long term partnership to set up modern  warehouses with proper infrastructure starting with civil  construction, having large loading bays, moving to standard reusable  pallets, racks, refrigeration facilities.

So be it AT Road in Guwahati  or Anisabad in Patna things are looking up. It is a pleasant surprise  to see structures coming up at Dhulagarh , Dankuni , Barasat on the outskirts of Kolkata which would look the same to the untrained eye  but for those in the trade visiting East after a decade or so , I am  sure it would be hypnotic. Else how do you think are the retail  biggies making money unless they got their infrastructure right?

 What’s Needed

What players in the east needs more and more are long terms  partnerships to develop trained manpower, leaner revenue generation  models, and above all a pragmatic fit in the vision of the larger  corporate houses. Develop proper audit plans & not the eye wash for the cursory stock reconciliation that we all have annually.

With due respect to the CA profession, they are not meant to be warehouse  auditors. They are not trained to count stock or have any inkling of best Supply chain best practices or metrics .This is seriously  separate profession & yet to have a proper launch in this country.

Technology Inputs

Finally, we come down to technology. Let us understand that it is an entire architecture we are talking about here and not a single piece of pirated accounting software on a standalone Pentium three  processor. Oh, we did manage without them long back but then today the game has changed as we all are well plugged into the Matrix!

I doubt  there is a single entity which tries to sell a design to the SMBs of  the warehousing trade who actually cater to around 90% of the entire  trade.  So what is the expected infrastructure say some one at say at Rasulgarh at Bhubaneswar for 10,000 sqft in order to cater to an  apparel giant? What should be his investment in terms of a computer,  phone lines, access to the company’s ERP system, basic office  software, a fax/scan/copier, the cost of associated AMCs, options in  terms of hiring trained manpower, number of printers, etc? How does he approach this? What kind of lease hire options does he have? What  about a similar requirement at Dimapur (Nagaland) or Deoghar  (Jharkhand) or Singtam  (Sikkim).  Note one size does  not fit all!

 Last, but not the least, let us say kudos to all those operators out  there who are on some of the toughest terrain the country has to offer  not only geographically but also politically. Not only do you manage  with the least but are even getting better at managing your aisles and lanes and highs and deeps!

So is it time now for us to check out the evening dispatch plan or….  Probably, the next month’s stock indent with the sales team?

Send your feedback to chandaarup@gmail.com