Mentor

Group-3
 Definition

• A Dabbawala also spelled as dabbawalla or dabbawallah is a

person in India, most commonly in Mumbai, who is part of a
delivery system that collects hot food in lunch boxes from the
residences of workers in the late morning, delivers the
lunches to the workplace utilizing various modes of transport,
predominantly bicycles and the railway trains, and returns
the empty boxes to the customer's residence that afternoon.
Who are Dabbawalla's

• Mumbai Dabbawala is one of the most efficient SCM systems in

the world
• More than 5000 Dabbawala’s
• More than 200,000 Dabba’s delivered and returned every day
• This works out to 40 Dabba's and approx. 60 kgs each
Dabbawala carries.
• That's 120 tons of food Daily
• Dabba changes at least 6 hands before being delivered and same
while returning from journey
• Dabba collection to delivery it take approx. 3 to 4 hours
• Total area covered is approx. 70 kms
• Value added services - money, spectacles, keys are sometimes
sent through Dabba
• Standard price for all - weight, distance, space , they charge
approx Rs.350 per month
• Each Dabbawala earns approx Rs.5000 to Rs.6000 per month
• Diwali bonus is extra months salary
• Excluding the Mumbai Train service, all other mode of
transport are manual and no technology is used
• They would never tell you the trains were late, they will
always deliver your tiffin before the time.
History
• Started in 1890 - started with 1 Dabbawala and 1customer
• Charitable trust - registered in 1956, No Strike record since 1890
• Dabbawala business is 124 years old , No Police or court case
• since 1890
• Average Literacy rate is 8th grade schooling and 50% are illiterate
• TheDabbawala’s are literate to the level of only
understanding alphabets and numbers.
• Average age of Dabbawala is 52 years , there is no retirement age
• Many dabbawalla are 3rd generation inheritors
 President
Organization Structure 1

Vice
President
1

General
• There are 800 Mukkadam’s Secretary
1

• Each Mukkadam has approx 20

Dabbawala's reporting to him. Treasurer
1

• The highest age Dabbawala is always the

Directors
Mukkadam 9

Mukkadam
800

Members
5000
A day in life of Mumbai Dabbawala
Coding System
.
Error Rate - 1mistake in 16 million
end deliveries
BARRIERS

• Unpunctual customer
• Physical distance
• Large number of Dabba’s
• Mumbai Traffic
• Crowded trains
• Multiple handovers
• Scattered pickup and drop off
destinations
 Difficulty Faced

• 1969 - Nationalization of Banks

• 1975 - 22 dayilways strike
• 1982 - textile mill workers strike
• 1993 - serial bomb blast in Mumbai
• 2006 - Mumbai Floods
• 2008 - terrorist attacks in Mumbai
“A small sticker trying to make a difference”
 • Keep operational cost as low as possible
• Just serve your customers, nothing else
matters
• Customer is not King , they are king of
king
• Complexity opposes compliance
Management • Co-operation inside, competition outside
Principle • Commitment matters, Qualification
doesn’t need
• High salary alone cannot retain employees
• Flat organization, fast decision

• Never deviate from your core competency

• Zero% Fuel
• Zero% technology
• 99.99% performance
• Zero% investments
• Zero% disputes
• 100% Satisfaction
THANK YOU………..