The Wonder Of Dabbawallas

Unfolded
• 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
• 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.
DABBAWALLAS IN TRAIN COMPARTMENT
 APPROACH
DISCIPLINE :
• No Alcohol Drinking during business hours
• Wearing White Cap during business hours
• Carry Identity Cards
WOMEN:
• Mrs. Bhikhubai of Borivali(East)
• Mrs. Anandibai of Andheri(East)
LATEST MARKETING STRATEGY:
Marketing message in the “dabba”
Case Study : TBSA
Tiffin Box Suppliers Association

Executive Committee
How do they do it…? (5 members)

• Organizational
structure Teams of 20-25 headed by a
group leader
• Operations

• War against Time (10.30 –

1.00) Individual Dabbawalla
workload = 30 tiffins
• The Code
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
 PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

13 MEMBERS
GENERAL SECRETARY

TREASURER

DIRECTORS(19)

MUKADAM

MEMBERS(5000)
 PRESIDENT & GENERAL SECRETARY
NUTAN MUMBAI TIFFIN BOX SUPPLIERS ASSOCIATION
 FINANCIAL DATA OF A
GROUP
1st group –
Rs 125000 Total earnings -20 People
Rs 35000 Maintenance cost
Tiffin luggage basket pass – Rs 180 per person.
Maintenance of cycles – Rs 300 – 2 cycles per
month. Maintenance of wooden boxes –
Rs 100 per person . T.C , police robbery of Tiffin Rs
500 yearly. Organizational fee Rs 15 per head.
Puja held per station Rs 50 per head.
 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
 Some Achievements
• World record in best time management.

• Name in “GUINESS BOOK of World

Records”.

• Registered with Ripley's “ believe it or

not”.
 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
• Coding
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)
• Let us now look at an example of
these codes on the tiffins to better
understand the system and what it
all denotes:
MR. RAGHUNATH MEDGE
• 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.
• 11:20 – 12:30 pm

• At this stage, the unloading takes place at

the destination station
• Re-arrangement of tiffins 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 tiffins
and is driven by 3-4 dabbawalas!
• 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.
• 2:48 – 3:30 pm

• The return journey by train where the

group finally meets up after the day’s
routine of dispatching and collecting 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, joking
around and singing.
• 3:30 – 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 tiffins as per
the origin area
 THE ROYAL VISIT:
• Recently, the dabbawala’s 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 and a trophy by the
dabbawalas.
THANK YOU