Ques Before we Begin

Mumbai Dabbawallas
presented by:
Akshay Vasudeva (157)
Rishabh Gupta (162)

What can we learn from

them

Passion
Commitment
Consistency
100 % execution
Accuracy
Dedication
Time management
Complete customer satisfaction

What do they do?

 They carry your DABBA from

your home to your workplace,
and deliver the same DABBA
back to your home the same
day.
They are not caterers

Main principles
Work is worship
Customer is GOD
No alternate to hardwork
Importance of human values

Their History
In 1890, Mahadeo Bhavaji Bachche
started a lunch delivery service.
A charitable trust was registered in
1956 under the name ofNutan
Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust

What is NMTBSA?

(Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers

Association)

History
: Started in 1880
Charitable trust
: Registered in 1956
Avg. Literacy Rate : 8th Grade Schooling
Total area coverage : 60 Kms
Employee Strength : 5000
Number of Tiffin's : 2,00,000 Tiffin
Boxes
i.e 4,00,000 transactions every day.
Time taken
: 3 hrs

structure
Executive Committee
(5 members)

Teams of 20-25 headed by a

group leader

Individual Dabbawalla
workload = 30 tiffins

Working rate
Error Rate : 1 in 16 million
transactions
Six Sigma performance (99.999999)
Technological Backup : Nil.
Cost of service - Rs. 400/month ($
4.00/month)
Standard price for all (Weight, Distance,
Space)
No strike record as each one a share holder
Earnings -8000 to 9000 p.m.

Customer satisfaction

What is customers perception??

APPROACH
People

study business books and then practice, we

practice first and now we have become case studies
Raghunath medgePresident

This is a model of management and organization

simplicity
CK Prahalad

DISCIPLINE :
No Alcohol Drinking and smoking during business hours
Wearing White Cap during business hours
Carry Identity Cards
No leave without prior notice

Evolution of coding system

Colored
threads

Alphabet
s

Coding
tags

 Coding

VLP

VLP : Vile Parle

(Suburb in Mumbai)

E : Express Towers
(Bldg. Name)

12 : Floor No.
E : Code for
Dabbawallas at
Residential station.
3 : Code for Destination station
(E.g.. Nariman Point)

9E
1
2

9E12 : Code
for Dabbawallas at
Destination

D 13

2GPO

4CB10

9 V S 12

VP

2P9

Let us now look at an example of

these codes on the tiffins to better
understand the system and what it
all denotes:
BO
GH

Setback

19751982199320052008-

22 days of railway strike

textile mill worker strike
serial blasts in mumbai
heavy floods
terrorist attack

But for them work is worship

JOURNEY OF DABBAWALA:
9:30 A.M- 10:30 A.M

2:48- 3:30P:M

3:30- 4:40 P.M

10:34- 11:20 A.M

11:20- 12:30 P:M

1:15- 2:30 P.M

12:30 - 1:00 P.M

 10:34-11:20 am

This time period is actually the journey time.

The dabbawalas load the wooden crates filled
with tiffins onto the luggage or goods
compartment in the train. Generally, they
choose to occupy the last compartment of the
train.

 1:15 2:00 pm
Here on begins the collection process where the
dabbawalas have to pick up the tiffins from the
offices where they had delivered almost an hour
ago.

RETURN JOURNEY:
2:00 2:30 pm
The group members meet for the segregation as per
the destination suburb.

SWOT
ANALYSIS

 Strengths:

SWOT ANALYSIS

Simplicity in organization with Innovative service

Coordination, team spirit, & time management
Low operation cost
Customer satisfaction

Weaknesses:
High dependability on
local trains
Funds for the association
Limited Access to Education

 Opportunities
Wide range publicity
Operational cost is low
Catering
Threats
Indirect competition is being faced from
caterers like maharaja community
Indirect threats from fast foods and hotels
Change in timings
Company transport

Operating Environment
Competitors: Fast Food chains,
restaurants and road-side vendors,
Udipi chain etc.
Competition is different:
NO MANUFACTURING, ONLY
DISTRIBUTION

Success Factors
Low cost delivery
Rs. 150 -200

Delivery reliability
Entrepreneurs, not employees
No strikes
Flat structure
Referrals from friends and relatives
No dilution of service culture

Success Factors
Decentralization
Perceived equality
Effort different, same remuneration

Suburban Railway Network

Foodline of the city

Future
Key concerns
Shrinking customer base and loyalty
Loss of textile mill workers in 80s amd 90s
Each group authorized to target new customers
(school children etc.)

Lifestyle changes
Not a major damage for the business

Workforce management
Next generations do not seem to be greatly
interested
Not many incentives for good workers
Not many disincentives wither (no firing)

Future
Sales and Marketing reps of
companies?
Approach
Only for sample products, flyers
Not for products with billing
Want to keep meal delivery simple and
manageable

Replicate to other cities

Distribution network
Working population
Preponderance of long commuting times

Awards and Felicitation

Shri.Varkari

Prabhodhan Mahasmati Dindi (palkhi) sohala

4th march 2001.
Invitation from CII for conference held in Bangalore.
Documentaries made by BBC ,UTV, MTV, and ZEE TV
Dabbawalla services are popular with the Indian IT
developer community in Silicon Valley, California, USA
In literature
Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses,
Dabbawalas feature as an alibi in the Inspector Ghote novel Dead on
Time.

Some Achievements
Awarded with ISO certification
World record in best time
management.
Name in GUINESS BOOK of World
Records.
Registered with Ripley's believe it

LOGISTICS
Logistics is happening 24 hrs a day,7 days a
week and 52 weeks a year.
Logistical competency is achieved by
coordinating the following:
Network Design

Information
Transportation
Inventory
Warehousing

THE ROYAL VISIT:

Recently, the dabbawalas had royal company at Churchgate station. The Prince of Wales
himself had visited them when he came down to Mumbai.

He took keen interest in their way of functioning, expressed surprise at their efficiency
and was struck with awe when he was told that they didnt employ any technology.

The prince was presented a small memento, accompanied with a garland, a Gandhi topi
and a trophy by the dabbawalas.

RICHARD BRANSON CHAIRMAN VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS

MUMBAI

Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Atlantic

Airways, meeting the Mumbai's famed
'Dabbawalas' at their nodal point, the Churchgate
Railway Station in South Mumbai, on April 1,
2005.

Some qualities of
Dabbawala

Honesty
Loving
Truthful
Trustworthy
Hardworking
Dedicated
Human
values

Respect for time

Analytical
capability
Positive approach
Obey the law
Work is worship

THANK YOU