A Presentation on dabbawalas

1. MIS OF
MUMBAI’S DABBAWALAS
GROUP 2
NAYANA PINGLE (07)
RUSHIKESHKALE(08)
MAMTA MIDIODDI(09)
SWAPNIL WANKHEDE(10)
NEHA RAHATE(11)
VARUN PATIL(12)

2. Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of a network of
interconnected businesses involved in the provision
of product and service packages required by the end customers in a supply
chain.
Supply chain management spans all movement and storage of raw
materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of
origin to point of consumption.
“Design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of supply chain
activities with the objective of creating net value, building a competitive
infrastructure, leveraging worldwide logistics, synchronizing supply with
demand and measuring performance globally."

3. A DABBAWALA also spelled as dabbawalla or dabbawallah; is a person in India, most
commonly found in the city of Mumbai, who is employed in a unique service industry whose
primary business is collecting the freshly cooked food in lunch boxes from the residences of
the office workers (mostly in the suburbs), delivering it to their respective workplaces and
returning the empty boxes back to the customer’s residence by using various modes of
transport

4. It was the time when India was under the British rule.
British people who came to the colony did not like the local food.
A Parsi banker employed a person to bring home-made food to site of work.
His colleagues too liked this idea and started availing this service.
Started a lunch delivery service with about 100 men.
Registration of NMTBSA

5. History : Started in 1890
Charitable trust : Registered in 1956
Education : 85% Illiterate – 15% Class 8 pass/fail.
Total area coverage : 60 Kms to 70 Kms ( Virar – Churchgate , Kalyan/ Panvel – CST)
Employee Strength : 5000
Mukundhams : 635
Number of Dabbas : 2,00,000 Dabbas i.e. 4,00,000 transactions every day.
Time Taken : 3 hrs

6. Error Rate : 1 in 16 million
transactions
Six Sigma performance
(99.999999)
Technological Backup : Nil.
Cost of service - Rs. 250 -
300/month ($ 6.00/month)
Standard price for all
(Weight, Distance, Space)
Rs. 30 Crore. approximately
Annual Turnover.
[5000*12*5000=30,00,00,00
0]
“No strike” record as each
one a share holder.
Earnings - 4000 to 5000 p.m.
per Dabbawala.
Diwali bonus: one month’s
salary by customers.

7. Zero % fuel
Zero %
modern
technology
Zero %
investment
Zero %
Disputes
50%
illiterates
100 %
Customer
Satisfaction
99.9999%
performance

8. DISCIPLINE: Wearing White Cap during business hours.
Reporting to duty on time.
Behave properly and respect the customers.
Carry Identity Cards.
WOMEN: Mrs. Bhikhubai of Kandivali
Mrs. Anandibai of Borivali
Mrs. Parvatabai of Karale (Ghatkopar)
Mrs. Laxmibai Bagade of Santa Cruz

9. PRESIDENT The present President of the association is
VICE PRESIDENT
GENERAL SECRETARY
TREASURER
MUKADAM
MEMBERS ( 5000 )
13 MEMBERS
DIRECTORS ( 9 )
Raghunath Medge.
Nowadays, the service often includes cooking of
food in addition to the delivery.

10. NMTBSA
Executive Committee
(5 members)
Teams of 20-25 headed by
a group leader
Individual Dabbawala’ s workload:
Collect from home – 35 tiffins
Delivery at office – 35 tiffins
Return empty tiffins to home – 35 tiffins
Dabbawalas operate in group of 25 – 30 ,
headed by a group leader.
In one segment there are more than one
group.
A flat organization.
Decisions are taken on the spot.
Everyone is a share holder.
Even the president and other high ups also
work.
Mini government meets every month to help ,
guide and sort difference.

11. 11% students
15%
businessmen
36%
government
sector
38% private
sector
employee

12. RESIDENT STATION
CODE
VLP
A 3
DESTINATION
PICKUP GROUP
CODE
[USE OF COLOURS IN CODES]
DESTINATION
ADDRESS CODE
[ABBREVIATION OF BUILDING]
FINAL
DESTINATION
[DETAIL SPECIFICATION
FLOOR/ OFFICE NAME, PERSON]
RESIDENT STATION
PICK UP CODE
[USE OF COLOURS IN CODES]
DESTINATION
STATION CODE

13. Supply Chain : FLOW LOGIC
Grant Road
(12)
Church Gate
(1-10)
Lower Parel
(14)
2
3
4
5
6
7
Distribution
By Carriers
at lunchtime
To offices
Point of
Aggregation
And Sorting
A E
B C D
Collection from home
1

14. DAILY
R UTINE

15. • This time period is utilized for collecting Dabbas
from different places around Andheri.
9:30AM to
10:30AM
Andheri
• This time period is actually the journey time. The
Dabbawalas load the wooden crates filled with tiffin onto
the luggage or goods compartment in the train.
10:34AM to
11:20AM
Andheri Station
• At this stage, the unloading takes place at the
destination station. Dabbas are delivered by cycle ,
hand card or even walk.
11:20AM to
12:30PM Church
Gate Station
• Dabbawalas carry their food with them. Area wise they
sit together and have their lunch.
12:30PM to
1:00PM Lunch
Time

16. • Here on begins the collection process where the
Dabbawalas have to pick up the Dabbas from the
offices where they had delivered almost an hour
ago.
1:15PM to 2:30PM
At All Destination
Stations
• Usually, since it is more of a pleasant journey
compared to the earlier part of the day, the
Dabbawalas lighten up the moment with merry
making, joking around and singing.
2:48PM to 3:30PM
• This is the stage where the final sorting and
dispatch takes place. The group meets up at
origin station and they finally sort out the tiffins
as per the origin area and the empty Dabba is
delivered at the respective residence. The actual
address of the residence is not mentioned on the
Dabba – it is remembered by the Dabbawalas.
3:30PM to 4:00PM
At All Origin
Stations

17. Dabbawalas got ISO 9001: 2000
for excellence in services.
Certificate accredited by “The
Joint Accreditation System Of
Australia And New Zealand” –
JASANZ.
The Indian consulting firm T. G.
Solutions coordinated the
process of getting the
certificate.
Most Dabbawalas do not know
what ISO stands for.
The only thing that a
Dabbawala know is that –
“Error is Horror”.
Dabbawalas work with great
efficiency without caring for
any certificates.

18. Dabbawalas were invited
to collect the six sigma
certificate – they did not
know what it is made of –
Gold or bronze.
The certificate is lying in
cupboard eating dust.

19. *In 1998, Forbes Global magazine conducted a quality assurance study
on the Dabbawalas' operations
* Gave Rating of 99.999999
* Dabbawalas made one error in six million transactions.
* Stood High along with MNC’s like Motorola, GE etc…
* Dabbawalas got ISO 9001- 2000 for Excellence in service

20. Star TV hired the services of Dabbawalas to distribute the pamphlets of
Amitabh Bacchan anchored “KBC” reaching 2 lakhs Mumbaikars in just 4 days.
Maharashtra government propagates HIV awareness though Dabbawalas
channel.
Campaigns done for many companies in Mumbai.
Dabbawalas are the fastest and most economic method to reach the nook and
corner of Mumbai.
This brings additional earning for Dabbawalas.

21. Only investment is the hard work , honesty , promptness and time
management.
Low cost offices.
Very cheap hand cart.
Easy to maintain cycles – Fuel is free air - (God given fuel).
Use public space for sorting.
No IT or HR department.

22. Keep Extras For Fault Tolerance.
• For every 20 Dabbawala there is one extra Dabbawala – like cricket team.
Know The Implication Of Failure.
Build Your Services Around Existing Infrastructure.
Abandon Bad Customers
Strike Means Suicide - Labor Means Life.
• Dabbawalas have never gone on strike since inception – for 116 years!
Penalize Employees For Non Compliance.
Do Not Transfer Your Employees Very often
• 5000 Dabbawalas remember the address of 2 lack customers by heart
Keep Your Employees Emotionally United
High Salary Alone Can Not Retain Employees.
Be Humble And Do Not Boast Your Success

23. There are 2-3 Dabbawala
groups in each segment.
Dabba collection is
group- wise but
transportation is
shared with other
groups. Competition
is only up to
collection.
Profit is shared
equally within each
group after
deducting expenses.

24. For 116 years , Dabbawalas did not touch technology - yet got six sigma and ISO.
Today mobile phones are used to communicate – mostly incoming.
Website & SMS used to get more customers & give information.
But logistics is still manual.

25. Team work
Time
management
Innovation
Customer
relationship
management
Logistics And
Supply chain
management
6 Sigma

26. NEW SERVICES
ORDER THROUGH SMS-
*Although the service remains essentially low-tech, with the barefoot
delivery boys as the prime movers, the dabbawala ‘s have started to
embrace technology, and now allow booking for delivery through
SMS.
Mydabbawala.com-
*Mydabbawala.com, has also been added to allow for on-line
booking, in order to keep up with the times. An on-line poll on the
web site ensures that customer feedback is given pride of place.

27. www.mydabbawala.com- Official website

28. STRENGTHS
• High team spirit, co-ordination,
simplicity in
the organization.
• Low operation cost
• Customer satisfaction
• Time Management
WEAKNESSES
• Lack of education
mostly illiterate
• High dependency on
local trains.
OPPORTUNITIES
• Expanding to other
cities
• Booking of services
through SMS’s and
internet.
• Wide range of Publicity
• Catering
THREATS
• Many Caterers also
offer tiffin services
• Food Courts at Malls
are growing rapidly

29. Documentaries made by :
*BBC ,UTV, MTV, ZEE TV, AAJ TAK, TV TODAY, SAHARA SAMAY, STAR TV,
CNBC TV 18, CNN, SONY TV, TV TOKYO, NDTV.
CASE STUDY made by :
*ICFAI Press Hyderabad & Bangalore
*Richard Ivey School of Business – Canada
*Also, Included in a subject in Graduate School of Journalism
University of California, Berkeley
Invitations from :
*CII for conference held in Bangalore, IIML, IIMA, CII Cochin, CII Delhi,
Dr. Reddy’s Lab Foundation Hyderabad, SCMHRD Pune, SCMHRD
Nasik, Sadahana – Pune, Rotary Club – Bangalore, NIQR at Chennai

30. *World record in Best Time management.
*Name in “GUINESS BOOK of World Records”.
*Registered with Ripley's “ believe it or not”.
*Invited for marriage of Hon. Prince Charles of England on 9th April,
2005
*Documentary called “Dabbawalas, Mumbai's unique lunch service”
* by two Dutch filmmakers in 1998.

31. LETTER FROM PRINCE CHARLES

34. THANK
YOU