The Mumbai Dabbawala’s have a very efficient and economical system of operation.

In Mumbai, most office workers prefer to eat home-cooked food in their workplace rather
than eat outside at a food stand or at a local restaurant, usually for reasons of taste and
hygiene, hence the concept. A collecting dabbawala, usually on bicycle, collects dabbas
either from a worker's home or from the dabba makers. As many of the carriers are of limited
literacy (the average literacy of Dabbawallahs is that of 8th grade), the dabbas (boxes) have
some sort of distinguishing mark on them, such as a colour or group of symbols. Lunch boxes
are marked in several ways:

(1) Abbreviations for collection points,

(2) Color code for starting station,
(3) Number for destination station and
(4) Markings for handling dabbawala at destination, building and floor.

Process: Simplicity, Flexibility, and Rigor

For the dabbawalas, having the right process in place means more than simply implementing
efficient work flows. It also entails just about everything in the organization, including the
way information is managed, the use of built-in buffers, and a strict adherence to standards.

Simple codes
To convey information, the dabbawalas rely on a system of very basic symbols. The lid of a
dabba has three key markings on it. (See the exhibit “Cracking the Dabba Code.”) The first is
a large, bold number in the center, which indicates the neighborhood where the dabba must
be delivered. The second is a group of characters on the edge of the lid: a number for the
dabbawala who will make the delivery, an alphabetical code (two or three letters) for the
office building, and a number indicating the floor. The third—a combination of color and
shape, and in some instances, a motif—indicates the
station of origin. Customers supply small bags for
carrying their dabbas, and the variation in the bags’
shapes and colors helps workers remember which dabba
belongs to which customer.

Cracking the Dabba Code

 Simple symbols tell the dabbawalas where each

lunchbox needs to go.
 Number for the district the dabba is going to: Ballard Estate
 Mark showing the originating station: Kurla
 Code of the dabbawala at the destination station who will make the delivery
 Code for the destination: Sant Building
 First floor (The name of the customer may also be included here if multiple deliveries
go to the same floor)

Coding System: Coding System is meticulously followed in order to avoid any mistakes
involving interchange of lunch boxes, that is, wrong Tiffin box reaching the customer.
As given in the above Diagram, the Coding system can be explained as follows:
BVI: Borivali, a suburb in Mumbai. This
denotes the residential station
9 RC 14: Code for Dabbawalas at destination.
This user code is different for each customer
RC: Raheja Chambers, name of a building or
office
14: Floor Number
E: Code for Dabbawala at Destination station.
For example, E is a code for Nariman Point,
Churchgate
Jain: Name/Surname of the customer

The coding system contains just enough information for people to know where to deliver the
dabbas, but it doesn’t allow for full addresses. The dabbawalas, who run the same route for
years, don’t need all those details, and inserting them would clutter the lid, slow the sorting
process, and possibly lead to errors. This insight is applicable in many other contexts. People
operate in a visual world. Whether you run an airline, hotels, or a university, how and what
information is conveyed can make a huge difference. Less is often more because it can reduce
confusion. Recognizing this, Delta Air Lines recently redesigned its boarding passes to make
them less cluttered and to highlight key information such as the destination city. The simple
coding system is crucial given the extremely tight tolerances of airline operations.

Key Features of the Dabbawalas organization:

 Organization Turnover is about Thirty Six Crores annually
 Uninterrupted and on time service delivered even in occasions of bad weather and
transportation/traffic problems
 Dabbawalas are well used to the local areas where they are functioning and make use
of short cuts to save time
 No error inspite of lunch boxes changing hands six times
 During the working hours, they do not take a break or rest and thus no slack is present
in the system
 They do not use vehicles which require fuel which makes them 0% Fuel reliant
 They do not use any modern technology for carrying out the logistics
 There are no disputes between the employees and no presence of any union
 Unique organization with Six Sigma designation and 99.99% rate of performance
 Cost of Service per lunch box = Rs. 450 per month and is standard price for all
 Customer Satisfaction accounts 100% with utmost trust

The Dabbawalas organization is a standout example of efficient Logistics and Supply Chain
Management. Their functioning in order is very unique structure and process. Today the
Dabbawalas have welcomed the use of internet technology only for increasing their customer
base and nothing more. Many fast food chains and hotels in the city will always be competing
with the Dabbawalas but their hope of failure of Dabbawalas system may never materialize.