DABBAWALLAHS“WHERE THERE IS A DABBA,

THEIR WILL BE A DABBAWALLAH”

What is NMTBSA? (Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers

Association)History : Started in 1880Charitable trust : Registered in 1956Avg. Literacy Rate : 8th Grade SchoolingTotal area coverage : 100 Kms Employee Strength : 5000Number of Tiffin's : 2,00,000 Tiffin Boxes

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

• Error Rate : 1 in 16 million transactions

• Six Sigma performance (99.999999)• Technological Backup : Nil.• Cost of service - Rs. 200/month ($

4.00/month)• Standard price for all (Weight, Distance,

Space)• Rs. 50 Cr. Turnover approx. [200,000*200=400,000,00 p.m. i.e 48

crore p.a.]• “No strike” record as each one a share

holder • Earnings -5000 to 6000 p.m.

DISCIPLINE :No Alcohol Drinking during business hoursWearing White Cap during business hoursCarry Identity Cards Reporting duty on time

LATEST MARKETING STRATEGY:Marketing message in the “dabba”

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

GENERAL SECRETARY

TREASURER

DIRECTORS(9)

MEMBERS(5000)

MUKADAM(700)

13 MEMBERS

•Acts as an supervisor, coordinator, the manager.•Each Mukadam engages 5 to 6 people to work with him.Dabbawallah’s

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

World record in best time management.

Name in “GUINESS BOOK of World Records”.

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

LOGIS TIC SLOGIS TIC S

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

CODINGCODINGVLP : 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)

Flow logic of Flow logic of distribution distribution

7 am – 9 am7 am – 9 am• Begins the circuit.• Collection of Dabbas from customer.• In an hours time they collect 30 Dabbas

and pass them on to next leg of relay race.• Next relay lap starts from local railway

station.

9 am – 11.30 am9 am – 11.30 am

• Postman sorting at station.• Wooden trays loaded in the compartment.• Special reserved compartment in trains.• Compartments contain 700-800 tiffins

besides human.• Loaded and sorted at platform for area

wise distribution.

11.30 am – 12 pm11.30 am – 12 pm

Final relay of the race!!!• Dozens of Dabba wala’s pour out from

trains at destination platforms during this peak hour.

• crates are unloaded outside the stations.• Dabbas are sorted within 10 minutes on

the footpath or on platform.• Pack their carts and boxes and Dashed off

to office districts.

12 pm – 2 pm12 pm – 2 pm

• Rush to the destination on 10 min sprint, push handcarts or bicycle.

• Each one assigned one block of office.• Rush with handcarts and deliver the

Dabba.• Hour later the collection process starts

where dabbas are picked up from offices where they had delivered.

“NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO UPSET THE SYSTEM”

2 pm – 6 pm2 pm – 6 pm

Here after the whole process is reversed.

• By 3 pm they again board the train for their respective locations.

• Empty Dabba’s are returned to households.

Profile of peopleProfile of people

• 4000 + dabbawallahs came from Maharastra state.

• They believe to be the descendent of Mahraja Shivaji.

• Maintained undisturbed monopoly.• Left poor farming community.• Dabbawallah’s uniform: loose half sleeved

open white shirt, cotton pyajamas, kolhapuri chappal and their “trademark” Gandhi-Nehru cap.

• Age no constraint.• Most of them are illiterate.

Mrs. Bhikhubai of Borivali(East)Mrs. Anandibai of Andheri(East)

Women Women DabbawallahDabbawallah

Flexible infrastructureCustomer CooperationAppropriate network structureCodification systemTopography

Process capabilityTransport economicsRedundancyCoordinationCompensationStructure

Analysis Through Porter’s Model • Threat of New entries• Current competition• Bargaining power of buyers• Bargaining power of sellers• Threat of new substitute products

• To provide their services in other major cities of Maharashtra and then expand their operations to another part of country.

• They are already developing a software application thorugh which the people of Mumbai can order Dabba service online through internet.

• To further enhance customer loyalty and ease of communication, they have adopted the mobile technology.

• This mobile technology is being provided in association with Active Media Technology.