Unlocking the Dabbawalas

8/14/2019 Unlocking the Dabbawalas

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Compiled, edited & presented by SohiniBanerjee

Inside the Dabba

Unlocking the secrets

of the

Mumbai Dabbawalas


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Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge IIPM for the inspiration that

led to improvising this presentation on the historic

Dabbawalas. I was lucky to be a part of one of the

seminars organised by IIPM and I hope through this

PPT, many lives would be touched and inspired just likemine.

For suggestions, feedback & enquiries, please feel free

to contact [email protected].
http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.masternewmedia.org/images/media-and-technologies_dabbawalas155.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2008/07/19/making_sense_of_new_technologies.htm&usg=__rsLBW8yVULyTNss67jPS3rCQ9rk=&h=155&w=155&sz=26&hl=en&start=66&itbs=1&tbnid=_Qk7CmbcPNadCM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDabbawala%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D63http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JiyokxKao-o/Re574KoT9cI/AAAAAAAAADU/m10RSGER-iE/s320/lotsofdabba.jpg&imgrefurl=http://minalvarma.blogspot.com/2007/03/mumbai-dabbawalas-in-delhi.html&usg=__kTfeOsMXaQPYequRrRGzFUGJUos=&h=160&w=230&sz=23&hl=en&start=68&itbs=1&tbnid=1BMEVnqBVin97M:&tbnh=75&tbnw=108&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDabbawala%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D63http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://mootee.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8351b44f853ef010536c6c0e4970c-320wi&imgrefurl=http://mootee.typepad.com/innovation_playground/2009/01/indias-best-business-innovation-idea-is-a-120year-old-social-enterprise.html&usg=__hS15n2zhZUKoXT_P8d6q3XVlojI=&h=219&w=320&sz=168&hl=en&start=77&itbs=1&tbnid=9fgKRsEMo4ycPM:&tbnh=81&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDabbawala%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D63http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://eonewdelhi.org/images/dabawala-big.jpg&imgrefurl=http://eonewdelhi.org/dabbawalas.html&usg=__-_CrjqtY1kAOAnSK5dTL9YE9maY=&h=214&w=280&sz=42&hl=en&start=76&itbs=1&tbnid=iCq8v0V_UD8g1M:&tbnh=87&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDabbawala%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D63http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://blog.semaworx.eu/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dw_cart.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blog.semaworx.eu/http:/www.technorati.com/tag/dabbawala/&usg=__gz3nZE57AuR2MLc-4XInGxPds_g=&h=375&w=500&sz=175&hl=en&start=74&itbs=1&tbnid=hbROs08YbbjopM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDabbawala%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D63http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Dabbawala.jpg/300px-Dabbawala.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25E0%25B4%25A1%25E0%25B4%25AC%25E0%25B5%258D%25E0%25B4%25AC%25E0%25B4%25BE%25E0%25B4%25B5%25E0%25B4%25BE%25E0%25B4%25B2&usg=__Is-wv73Rwpzw4cGckDYQWBSyLZk=&h=225&w=300&sz=28&hl=en&start=84&itbs=1&tbnid=KmghJ1EoNWVuAM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3DDabbawala%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D63


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Who are these Dabbawalas?

Dabbawala, literally translated means man with thebox and is the popular name given to an unique, dailylunch delivery service in Mumbais central office district.

For the past 113 years, a community of villagers fromMumbais hinterland has been running a low cost, lowtechnology, manually operated daily service deliveringhot box lunches from suburban homes to Mumbaisoffice workers using manual push carts and riding thelocal train service.


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What is their Mission?

Work is Worship

Customeris a KING.

To reach the customer on time so that they could have

hot home made food.


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So, whats the Big Deal?

Without computers, operating manuals or any othersophisticated management system, they work togetheras a team to collecting lunch boxes from all overMumbais suburbs and reaching them within 180

minutes to their clients. An hour or two later, they collectthe empty box and return it by mid afternoon back toeach home. They deliver on an average about 200,000such boxes everyday!


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What is their core strength?

Brand Loyalty 3 generation of family Team work with outstanding co-ordination Everyone is an entrepreneur

Stamina, value and ethics Delivering fast hot home cooked food is their objective Humility personified Unique logistic with railways

Use only bicycles and pushcarts to deliver


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How did the business start?

It started 113 years back with this Parsee gentlemanwho had asked one of the coolie if he could deliver

home food in his dabba to his office everyday. The

coolie agreed and then slowly had more join him and

soon they became a chain of people doing the same job.

Most of the Dabbawala are from Rajgurunagar, Akola,

Ambegaon, Junnar and Maashi.


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4 factors of Social Service

Efficient service at low cost

No pollution or congestion Do not cause accident or morcha

No cost burden to the state


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History

Started in 1890 Charitable trust: Registered in 1956 Employee strength: 5000 Average Literacy Rate: 8th Grade schooling Total coverage: 60-70 km No. of tiffins: 200,000 tiffin boxes

i.e. 400,000 X 25 days X 12 months = 120,000,000

(120 million or 12 crore transactions per year) Time taken: 8 hours, war time 3 hours (9am-12pm) for

collection of dabba.


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Working NMTBSA

Error rate: 1 in 16 million transaction Six Sigma performance (99.999999) Technological backup: Nil Cost of Service: 300 350 per month Std price for all: Weight, Distance, Space Earnings: 5000-6000 per month 72 80 Crore turnover per annum approx. Diwali bonus: 1 months extra pay

No Strike- record since 1980 No Police/ Court Case since 1890


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Approach

Discipline

No Alcohol drinking or smoking during business hours

Wearing white caps

Carry Identity cards

No leave without prior notice


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Code of Conduct

Rs. 500 Drinking on duty

Rs.100- Smoking on duty

Rs.25- Not wearing white cap

Rs.25- Not carrying ID Card

Rs.1000-Leave without intimation, sacked if repeated 2-3

instances

Marketing Marketing pamphlets in the Dabba


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Working Co-ordination

8am-10am collection of dabbas 10.34am-11.20am- Load the dabbas onto to the luggage or goods

compartment 11:20am-12.30pm- Unloading happens at the destination station 1.15pm-2.00pm-Collection process starts 2.00pm-2.30pm-Segregation as per destination suburb 2.28pm-3.30pm-Return Journey 3.30pm-4pm- Back to origin station Coding structures are done with the place from where the dabba is picked

and by whom it needs to be delivered and where it needs to be delivered.


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But thats not all

They work at six sigma levels of efficiency and this amazinglogistics miracle even caught Prince Charles attention andis now a business school case study. Why, even SirRichard Branson the chairman of Virgin Atlantic paid them a

visit. Out of the 5,000 dabbawallas about 85% are illiterateand remaining educated only up till the 8th grade. But owing totheir dedication, hard work, time management skills and nostrikes in their 100+ years history they have carved out a nichefor themselves earning the awe and respect of the society

they selflessly serve. Among the recognitions, they have a SixSigma certificate from the Forbes group and ISO 9001:2000.The dabbawalla story is without parallel anywhere in theworld.


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So, did you learn something from the Dabbawallainside the dabba.


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I would love to hear from you on

[email protected]

THANK YOU!

Documents

Unlocking the Dabbawalas