Navigating Diwali Rush at Diya Innovations: A Masterclass in Operations, Logistics, and Teamwork
Beyond the Chromosome: Celebrating the Remarkable Gifts of Our Down Syndrome Artisans As the festive season approaches, let's reflect on the profound impact of shopping locally. When we choose local businesses, we're not just making a purchase - we're nurturing the very fabric of our community. Every year around Diwali, I step away from my corporate job to assist with the surge in orders at Diya Innovations. This annual tradition has provided me with invaluable insights into operations, logistics, and supply chain management in low tech environments. The challenge of handling a 10-fold increase in production is significant in any setting, but even more so when your team primarily consists of differently-abled individuals. However, the complexities involved and successes achieved are what make this experience so rewarding. Key Challenges Logistics: Handling orders during the Diwali season means dealing with multiple products—each requiring different materials, handling, and assembly processes. Take, for instance, a typical order as seen in the picture containing 10 products such as a wooden tray, a decorative T-light holder, coasters, terracotta diyas, chocolates, a brass container, a wooden toy, and more. 50% of the products are manufactured from scratch at Diya while the rest are sourced, assembled, and packaged here. Managing the logistics involves: Ordering raw materials in bulk at best rates while ensuring they arrive on time. Checking for quality and quantity discrepancies in every delivery for outsourced products. Processing items like chocolates, which need to be melted, refrigerated, molded, and packed under strict temperature controls. Similarly, dry fruits need to be precisely weighed as per the assortment into 100 gms packets and kept safe from pests. Additionally, anything involving custom branding must be approved by clients to avoid diluting their messaging.as well as securing approvals for printed items to ensure accurate client branding. Coordinating multiple components per order. With 20+ festive orders and about 10 products per order, each with multiple parts, that means tracking roughly 400 unique line items simultaneously. Time and Space Management: During peak production, space becomes a premium. There is the need for storage space for raw and packing materials, dedicated production areas, and room for packaging and final assembly. And on top of this , each type of product and each stage of production requires a diverse set of conditions For perishable items like chocolates and dry fruits, we also have to ensure conditions are safe from pests. Additionally, items that require painting, such as wood products, need well-ventilated areas for drying. The workspace has to accommodate chocolate production that needs cooling, woodwork that requires ventilation, and teams that need unobstructed access, especially as many staff members use wheelchairs. The additional complication is that we share our space with Diya Foundation, which runs skill training programs for around 40 students. Their activities cannot be disrupted, adding another layer of complexity to managing our already-cramped workspace. Even though we begin Read Full Testimonial