b

Wheel Within Wheel

Ram Lonkar
 Natural ability without education
has more often raised a man
to glory and virtue
than education without natural ability.
Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association

‘Mumbai Dabbawalla’
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 Boxes :2,00,000

i.e. 4,00,000 transactions every day.

Time taken :3 hrs

Error Rate :1 in 16 million transactions
Performance Level :99.999999 %
Six Sigma Level :99.9997 %

Cost of service :Rs. 200/-a month

Approx. Turnover :Rs. 45 / 50 Cr.

2,00,000 * 200 = 400,000,00 p.m. i.e. 48 Cr. p.a.

Individual Earnings :Rs. 5000 to 6000 p.m.

Standard price for all (Weight, Distance, Space)

“No strike” record as each one a share holder .

Technological Backup :Nil.

 PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
GENERAL SECRETARY

TREASURER

DIRECTORS(19)

SUPERVISER

MEMBERS(5000)
Executive Committee
(5 members)

Group of 20-25 Dabbawallas

headed by a Group Leader

Individual Dabbawalla
workload = 30 Tiffin Boxes
 FINANCIAL DATA OF A GROUP

Group: 1
Total earnings - 20 People : Rs. 1,25,000
Maintenance cost : Rs 35,000
Tiffin luggage basket pass :Rs 180 per head.
Maintenance of cycles :Rs 300 / 2 cycles p. m.
Maintenance of wooden boxes :Rs 100 per head.
T.C , Police, Robbery of Tiffin :Rs 500 yearly.
Organizational fee :Rs 15 per head.
Prayer held per station :Rs 50 per head.
VALUES

Treat everyone as equals & Value differences.

Take Commitments seriously & fulfill responsibilities.

Stay passionate about succeeding & celebrate success.

Be open, transparent & honest

Code Of Conduct
No Alcohol drinking during business hours.

Dress Code
Wear a white cap during business hours & carry ID Cards.
HOW DO THEY DO IT?
LOGISTICS HAPPENS – 24 HRS X 7 DAYS.

Logistical competency is achieved by coordinating

Network Design

Information & Communication.

Transportation

Inventory

Warehousing
THE CODE

VLP: Vile Parle - (Suburb in Mumbai)

9E12: Code for Dabbawallas’ at

Destination.

E: Express Towers - (Bldg. Name)

12: Floor No.

E: Code for Dabbawallas’

at residential station.

3: Code for Destination station

(E.g.. Nariman Point)
CRACK THE CODES:

A few examples of these codes on the Tiffin Box -

to better understand the system and what it all denotes
WAR AGAINST TIME
10:30 am to 11:20 am

This time period is actually the journey time.

The dabbawala load the wooden crates filled with Tiffin -

Boxes onto the luggage or goods compartment in the
train.

Generally, they choose to occupy the last compartment of

the train.
11:20 am to 12:30 pm

At this stage, the unloading takes place

at the destination station

Re-arrangement of Tiffin Boxes takes place

as per the destination area and destination building

In particular areas with high density of customers,

a special crate is dedicated to the area.

This crate carries 150 Tiffin Boxes & is driven by 3-4

Dabbawalas.
THE RETURN JOURNEY

1:15 pm to 2:00 pm

This time The Collection Process begins.

The dabbawalas’ have to pick up the Tiffin box from -

the offices where they had delivered almost an hour ago.
2:00 pm to 2:30 pm

The group members meet for the segregation

as per the destination suburb.
2:50 pm to 3:30 pm

The return journey by train where the group finally

Meets up after the day’s routine of Dispatching and
Collecting Tiffin Box from various destination offices.

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, dancing or
singing as they wish.
3:30 pm to 4:00 pm

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 Tiffin Box as per the origin area
ACHIEVEMENTS

World record in best Time Management.

Name in “GUINESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS”.

Registered with Ripley's “ believe it or not”.

AWARDS AND FELICITATION

Invitation from CII for conference held in Bangalore.

Documentaries made by BBC ,UTV, MTV, and ZEE TV

Shri.Varkari Prabhodhan Maha-Samiti – (Dindi /Palkhi)

Write up/ articles by many a newspapers/magazines.

THE ROYAL VISIT
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 didn’t employ
any technology.

The prince was presented a small memento,

accompanied with a garland, a Gandhi Topi (Cap)
by the proud Dabbawalas.
There is a wheel within wheel within wheel

Effect

Result
If we want quality to be a matter of choice and not chance,
then we have to define Quality in a manner that means
the same to everyone who is associated with it.

When we talk about standards,

there can not be double standards or any sub-standard.

Standards make an enormous contribution to most aspects

of our lives although very often, that contribution is invisible.

It is when there is an absence of standards that their

importance is realized. Is it not so?

Without the standardization of telephone & banking cards,

life would be more complicated.

Conformity of products & services to International Standards

provide assurance about their quality, safety & reliability.
The aim of process excellence is to develop new
tools & ways of thinking about what we do enabling
us to significantly improve our processes & work more
efficiently.

In developing skills in six-sigma & lean methodology,

we are creating a growing culture of continuous
improvement in our personal & professional life.

We can translate any business activity into

quantifiable language & understand how we can
improve the profitability by reducing existing defects
to only 3.4 defects per million.
Personally, If I can’t add on learning to my days,
months & years, I don’t think I am gaining momentum
& feel concerned the way I am progressing.

Learning is an active & never ending process. All the money

in the world can not give a person education unless that
person is willing to sit down and learn.

If Mumbai Dabawallas with the natural ability has achieved

so much, why not organizations with selected intellect?

At the end of every month & year, shall we not sit down
to see whether we can add a few more learning?

Introspect.