1

CONTENTS

Mumbai Dabbawala
Approach Discipline
Logistic
Journey Of Mumbai Dabbawala
Awards & Achievement
Six Sigma Quality Certification
Conclusion

2
MUMBAI DABBAWALA

Introduction
A Dabbawala is a person in the Indian City of Mumbai
whose job is to carry and deliver freshly made food
from home in lunch boxes to office workers. They are
also known as Tiffin-wallas.
The dabbawala originated when India was under British
rule. They used to served food prepared by British
people. Now a days Indian businessmen are the main
customer for the dabbawalas, and the service often
includes cooking as well as delivery. 3
For the efficiency of their supply chain it has been claimed that this
virtually achieves a Six-Sigma performance rating(i.e. 99.99999%)
of deliveries are made without error. Though the work sounds
simple, it is actually a highly specialized trade that is over a century
old and which has become integral to Mumbais culture.

NMTBSA
Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association.
History: Started in 1880.
Charitable trust: Registered in 1956.
Average literacy rate: 8th grade schooling.
Total area coverage: 60 kms.
Employee strength: 5000+ persons
Nos. of tiffins: 2,00,000 tiffin boxes i.e. 4,00,000 transactions per
day. 4

Time taken: 6-7 hrs.

 Approach-Discipline
1. No alcohol drinking during business hour
2. Wearing white cap during business hour also known
as Gandhi cap.
3. Carrying identity card.
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
GENERAL SECRETARY
TREASURER
DIRECTORS(9)
MUKADAMS(800)
5

MEMBERS(5000+)
 LOGISTICS
By using their own logics methods they deliver lacs of tiffins boxes
through many dabba
wallas hand.
Logistics is happening 24 hrs day, 7 day a week and 52 weeks a
year.
Logistical competency is achieved by co-ordinating the followings:

NETWORK DESIGN
INFORMATION
TRANSPORTATION
INVENTORY
6

WARE HOUSING
 JOURNEY OF DABBAWALA
9.30 A.M-10.30A.M:- Pick up dabba from
Residence/Caterer and being it to Andheri station.
10.34A.M-11.20A.M:- Journey in local train.
11.20A.M-12.30P.M:- Unloading and sorting at
destination station.
12.30P.M- 1.00P.M:- Delivery to respective customers.
1.15P.M- 2.30P.M:- Collection of empty dabba.
2.45P.M-3.30P.M:- Sorting at destination station.
3.30P.M- 4.40P.M:- Returning dabba to Resident/
Caterer.
7
 AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
1. World record in best time management.
2. Name in GUINESS BOOK of world record
3. Registered with Ripleys Believe or Not
4. Documentaries made by BBC, UTV, MTV and ZEE TV.
5. Shri Varakari Prabhodhan Mahasmati Dindi(Palkhi)
Suhala on 4th March 2001.
6. Invitation from CII for conference that held in
Bangalore.

8
Six Sigma Quality Certification
The Six Sigma quality certification was established by the
International Quality Federation in 1986, to judge the quality
standards of an organization. The Six-sigma rating means that
they have a 99.99 % efficiency in delivering the lunch-boxes
to the right people. According to quality standards the
dabbawallas are at par with various companies like Motorola,
Honeywell and GE. Apart from this the dabbawallas have
been called to various CII Conferences and leading institutes
like IIMs to deliver speech. Secretary of the Nutan Mumbai
Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust Gangaram Talekar and M
Medge, a tiffin carrier contractor in a raw form both are
essentially dabbawallas have been called to speak at various
leading institutes, FII Conferences, WTC etc. The New York
Times reported in 2007 that the 125 year old dabbawala
industry continues to grow at a rate of 5-10% per year. In its
July 11, 2008 issue, The Economist news magazine9
reported
that dabbawallas are a model of Six Sigma management,
 CONCLUSION
1. Managing more than 10000 dabbawalas daily.
2. Six Sigma service provide 100% satisfaction
level.
3. Work is Worship
4. Serving people is serving GOD.
5. Time is Money.
6. Unity is Power.
7. Logistics and coding.

10
11