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.

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”

How do they do it…?

• Organizational structure

Executive Committee(5 members)

Teams of 20-25 headed by a group leader

Individual Dabbawallaworkload = 30 tiffins

• Operations

• War against Time (10.30 – 1.00)

• The Code

Case Study : TBSATiffin Box Suppliers Association

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

GENERAL SECRETARY

TREASURER

DIRECTORS(19)

MEMBERS(5000)

MUKADAM

13 MEMBERS

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”.

LOGISTICSLOGISTICS

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

• CodingVLP : 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 tif f ins to better understand the system and what it all denotes:

•10:34-11:20 am

• This time period is actually the journey time. The dabbawalas load the wooden crates f illed with tif f ins 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 tif f ins takes place as per the destination area and destination building

• I n particular areas with high density of customers, a special crate is dedicated to the area. This crate carries 150 tif f ins 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 tif f ins f rom the of f ices where they had delivered almost an hour ago.

R ETU R N:J O U R N EY

•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 f inally meets up af ter the day’s routine of dispatching and collecting from various destination of f ices

• 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 andsinging.

•3:30 – 4:00 pm

• This is the stage where the f inal sorting and dispatch takes place. The group meets up at origin station and they f inally sort out the tif f ins as per the origin area

:TH E R O YAL VIS IT

• 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 ef f iciency 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