The Dabbawala system in Mumbai efficiently delivers 200,000 tiffin carriers per day using a low-tech network of over 5,000 Dabbawalas. Dabbawalas collect freshly cooked meals in the morning from homes in the suburbs, transport them into the city on local trains, and deliver them to office workers by lunchtime. They then collect and return the empty tiffin carriers back to homes in the afternoon, with an extremely low error rate of 1 in 16 million deliveries. The Dabbawala network has been in operation since 1890 and relies on teamwork, local infrastructure, and strong customer relationships rather than technology.

1. MUMBAI
DABBAWALAS
GROUP 5
ELDHO POULOSE
JEFFIN JAMES
SHRIRAM L
VIJAY SINGH
ANJANA SARAF
ARCHANA R

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
99.9999%
performance
100 % Customer
Satisfaction
Food is taken from
home or mess and
is delivered at
office.

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

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

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

14. UTINER
DAILY

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. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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.

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

25. 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

26. THANK
YOU