1. A Presentation on Supply Chain Practices
incorporated by Mumbai Dabbawala
Presented & Submitted By:-
Abhijeet Srivastava
Abhishek Kumar Singh
Prerna Mathur
Rashmi Singh
Sec- A, PGDM [2011-13]
Presented To:-
Dr. V.N. Bajpai [Chairperson-PGDM]
Respected Faculty
Supply Chain Management
I.T.S- Mohannagar, Ghaziabad. & Sec-A Class Mates

2. INTRODUCTION
• Who is Dabbawala?
A Dabbawala is a person who supplies the
homemade food to the person carrying in the
lunch boxes.
Also known as tiffinwala,tiffin supplier or annadata.

3. ABOUT DABBAWALA
• Firstly started in Mumbai in year 1890.
• Started with 20 Dabbawala later extended to
100.
• Initial cost to client in Rs.2per month.
• 5000 recruits, 175, 000 clients.
• 75 kms of public transport.
• Failure: once in two months, one in 16 million.
• Rs 380 million per annum.
• Daily they deliver 2,00,000 dabbas that means
4,00,000 transactions per day.

4. NEED OF DABBAWALA
• To deliver homemade food.
• Some person does not like stale food.
• Some person does not like unhygienic food.
CUSTOMER PROFILE OF THE DABBAWALA
11%students 15%businessman 36%Government 38%private sector
employee

5. Mumbai Dabbawalas – Strong Supply Chain
Network and Efficient Logistics Management
•These people do not use any modern technology.
•Never failed to deliver the lunch boxes on time -
irrespective of weather, riots, floods, etc.
•Efficient delivery of boxes with an error coefficient
of one in 16,000,000 boxes.

6. The Mumbai Dabbawalas –
Method of Working at a Glance
•High teamwork and accurate timing to complete their
tasks.
•The lunch is packed in a box that is color coded
(provided by the Dabbawalas) by the customer's home-
maker. [Work completed by 9am.]
•Once the lunch box is packed, it is transported using a
combination of different transport modes: bicycles,
local trains, and walking.

7. The Mumbai Dabbawalas –
Method of Working at a Glance
•The boxes are handed over to other team workers at
different junctions.
•The entire city is divided into several areas, each area
having a specific "box exchange point".
•A single lunch box changes hands three to four times
in its journey to office and back home.

8. Distribution Network
• Baton relay system & Hub and spoke arrangement.
• No historical, theoretical legacy in the design.
• No use of computer technology.
• Coding system-Decentralized at the group level.
• Workday schedule, 30-35 deliveries (manageable).
• Sorting, loading and unloading at peak rush hours.
• 4 handlings of a dabba in a day- coding essential.
• K-BO-10-19/A/15
• Clients name is not even existing.
• Easy coding scheme as the level of literacy is not
very high.

9. Strong Supply Chain- Coding System
VLP : Vile Parle (suburb in Mumbai)
9EX12 : Code for Dabbawalas at Destination
EX : Express Towers (building name)
12 : Floor no.
E : Code for Dabbawala at residential station
3 : Code for destination Station e.g.. Churchgate Station
(Nariman Point)

10. Let us now look at an example of these codes on the
Tiffin's to better understand the system and what it
all denotes.

12. SWOT Analysis of Dabbawala’s
Strength:
• Simplicity in organization with innovative service
• Co-ordination, team spirit & time management.
• Low operation cost.
• Customer satisfaction.

13. Weakness:
• High dependability on local train.
• Funds for the association.
• Limited access to education.

14. Opportunity:
• Tie up with caterers to serve variety of meals.
• Opportunity of expenses of service in Mumbai
metro and BRT’s.
• Generating revenue by promoting other number
of brands.
• Explanation services to other cities.
• Booking of services through internet and SMS
recently started- need of popularization.

15. Threats:
• Indirect threats by fast foods chain and hotels
• Food courts at malls/ mega structure
• Flexi timing/work form home culture
• Catering services offering Tiffin services
• Paper food voucher and smart cards