Presented By : PSM Group 1

Origins and History

  The story of the Mumbai Dabbawalas dates back over 125
years.  It all began when a Parsi banker desired home-
cooked food at his workplace.  The first-ever Dabbawala
took on this responsibility informally.  Visionary Mahadeo
Havaji Bachche transformed it into a team-delivery format
with 100 Dabbawalas.
Who are Dabbawalas?
 Dabbawalas are dedicated individuals who specialize in
delivering home-cooked meals to thousands of office workers
across Mumbai.  They form a unique lunchbox delivery and
return system.  Their precision and punctuality are
legendary
 How It Works
  Residences: Dabbawalas collect tiffin boxes filled with
delicious meals from homes.  Restaurants: They also pick
up meals from restaurants.  Delivery: These tiffins are then
delivered to office-goers across the city.  Return: Empty
tiffins are returned to the respective homes or eateries.

Beyond Food: Social Impact

 The Dabbawalas’ work extends beyond food delivery. 
They contribute to reducing food wastage and hunger. 
You can also be part of their initiative by donating excess
food through the Mumbai Roti Bank.
 Resilience and Bond with Customers

 Dabbawalas maintain a strong bond with clients. 

Customers treat them like family.  Their spirit and grit
keep them going since 1890
 Functions

 Collection: A dabbawala collects the lunchboxes with freshly

prepared meals from customers’ homes or lunch places in the
morning.
 Sorting: These lunchboxes are then taken to a sorting place,
where they are sorted based on their destination. Each
lunchbox has a distinct code, a combination of alphabets and
numbers. This code indicates the destination and the recipient.
 Transportation: Once sorted, the lunchboxes are transported
using a mix of bicycles, trains, and on foot. Given Mumbai’s
complex railway system and dense urban setting, these modes
of transport ensure speed and efficiency
 Delivery: After reaching the respective areas, the lunchboxes
are again sorted based on the specific building and floor
number. Another set of dabbawalas then delivers the
lunchboxes to the appropriate individuals.
 Return: Post-lunch, the process is reversed. The empty
lunchboxes are collected and sent back to the respective
households.
 Coding System: One of the most remarkable features of the
dabbawala system is its coding method. It’s a mix of colours,
numbers, and alphabets that denote various aspects like
source and destination, ensuring each tiffin reaches its rightful
owner.
 Human-powered: The entire process is manually powered.
There’s no use of modern technology, apps, or even written
addresses, yet it matches and sometimes surpasses the
efficiency of contemporary tech-driven delivery systems.
 Teamwork: The dabbawalas operate in teams and are
stakeholders, ensuring each member’s accountability and
commitment to the service.
 Dropped and sorted at Dropped and sorted at
Virar (Aggregation Point Borivli (Aggregation Point
I) II)

All the Dabba’s are All the Dabba’s are

sorted at each Andheri sorted at each
station according station according
to Delivery to Delivery
destinations Bandra destinations

Dadar

Churchgate

Once sorted according to Delivery destinations they are delivered to offices

Business Model
 Six Sigma
 Sigma is a Greek letter used in mathematics to represent the
standard deviation. Six Sigma definitely sounds Greek to you
but the story goes beyond Greece.
 Six Sigma is a set of technique and tools to improve the
process. It seeks to improve the quality of the process by
identifying and removing the causes of defects or expected
defects leading to failure in the final outcome. A Six Sigma is
process were 99.99966% of all opportunities of producing
defects are statistically measured and controlled upon.
 This perfection and reliability were recognized by Forbes
Global magazine in 1998, which, after conducting a thorough
quality assurance study of their operations, awarded the
Dabbawalas a Six Sigma efficiency rating of 99.999999%
 The Mumbai Dabbawallas represent a grassroots approach to Six Sigma
principles at work. Here’s how they integrate the Six Sigma principles into
their meal delivery service.
 Define: The dabbawalas clearly understand their task—to deliver home-
cooked meals to offices, with the stipulation that the delivery is prompt,
the food is at the right temperature, and the content is as ordered.
 Measure: Performance metrics include the total number of lunches
successfully delivered versus the number of errors or mix-ups that occur.
 Analyze: When mistakes happen, such as delivering to the wrong
person, the dabbawalas carry out a root cause analysis to avoid future
occurrences.
 Improve: They are committed to a cycle of continuous improvement to
nullify the errors discovered.
 Control: A unique coding system controls the process, ensuring each
lunchbox reaches its rightful owner.
 Verify: The dabbawalas meticulously manage delivery times and the
freshness of food, covering distances of 60-70 km daily within six hours,
thereby confirming the high quality of their service.
The ultimate objective of implementing Six Sigma in
any organization is to –
 Increase performance
 Increase profits
 Decrease process deviation
 Minimize defects and errors
 Improve quality of final products or services
Swot Analysis of Dabbawalas in Mumbai
 Strengths
 The Dabbawala system's main
strengths is 100% achievement
levels, teamwork, time
management, customer
satisfaction and reliable delivery
system.
 Dabbawalas, ensure we get
home-cooked hygienic meals on
time.
 They are known for
their precision, efficiency and are
termed as masters of logistics.
 Low Costs
 Weaknesses

 They are highly

depended upon Mumbai
Local Services
 They do not generate
revenue by promotions
of other brands
 Lesser tie ups with other
Caterers to generate
income
 Opportunities

 Tie-up with caterers to

serve varieties of food
 Expanding to other
cities- though already
started in Chennai
 Diversification of
services like Courier.
 Diversification of Food.
 Target School Children
 Threats

 Bad Weather Conditions

poses threats
 Indirect competition
from caterers
 Fast Food joints and
restaurants
 Street food vendors
 CHALLENGES
 In addition to the above Weaknesses , here are some other
challenges faced by Dabbawallas in Mumbai

• STANDARD BUSINESS MODEL -Monotonous and doesn’t

leave any scope for new challenges
• UNEDUCATED WORKFORCE -Unable to forecast
uncertainties
• DEPENDABILITY/TRANSPORTATION -Limited scope to grow
• NO DEVELOPMENT -No starving for new
Tiffins
• NO DIGITALISATION/MARKETING -Not tech-savvy
 External

• CHALLENGER -We are at your convenience

• COVID -Difficult times
• LESS WORK FORCE -No home coming
 Overcoming the Challenges
 Airtel used Dabbawala for AD. Campaign

 Have started self-cooking and delivery.

 Have a collaboration with Paper & Parcel (Tilak Mehta),
where they deliver small parcels.

 After COVID in 2020, started their own website.
 Achievements

  The Dabbawalas’ work extends beyond food delivery.  They

contribute to reducing food wastage and hunger.  You can also be
part of their initiative by donating excess food through the Mumbai
Roti Bank.
 The Mumbai Dabbawalas have become an iconic symbol of the city.
 They’ve received numerous awards and accolades for their
exceptional service.  Their commitment to delivering more than
just lunch is truly commendable.
 Certification & Licensing: They ensure quality and adherence to
standards.  Start-Up Initiation: New Dabbawalas learn the ropes
from experienced ones.
 Achievements

 200,000+ tiffin deliveries per day!  200+ areas in Mumbai tapped by

Dabbawalas.  Over 3,500 seminars conducted to share their remarkable
story.  Serving 1,000+ clients with unwavering dedication.
 0% Fuel
 0% INVESTMENT
 Low operation cost
 KNOWN AS ANNADAATA
 Conclusion

 The Dabbawalas of Mumbai demonstrate that extraordinary results

are attainable through a well-orchestrated system, even with an
unexceptional workforce. Their story teaches us that success
requires not only leadership but also a focus on designing and fine-
tuning systems that empower employees to excel.