Volume 13, Number 4 Article by Ashok Kumar, Stephen T Margulis and Jaideep Motwan December, 2001
An Efficient Real-world Food Delivery System: The Dabbawallas of Mumbai :
The "Dabbawalla" system that operates in Mumbai is unique and incredible in the complexity of its task, simplicity of its operation, and surprisingly low error rates for a system of its size. It is a daily service in which thousands of men carry and deliver over 200,000 lunches every day, within a three hour block of time, across the city’s 70-kilometre stretch, with each lunch box (dabba) changing hands at least four times. Yet, for all its complexity and size, it is run and managed by a group of largely illiterate rural workers using nothing more than three or four symbols crudely painted on the lunch-boxes — that, and their own remarkable intuition, teamwork, and values. Ashok Kumar, Stephen T Margulis and Jaideep Motwani present the background of the dabbawalla operations, and provide an organisational and logistical perspective of this food supply chain system. A step-by-step description of the journey of a dabba is also provided.
The Mumbai Tiffinbox Carriers Association is a relatively flat organisation with a narrow span of control. Structural complexity and professionalism are low, as are technical complexity and uncertainty, and there are no stated goals other than that of continuing to provide the service in the best manner possible. The supply chain model that best represents the dabbawalla system is the arborescent logistical system such as the one used by Federal Express, United Parcel System, and US Post Office. Such systems are generally supported by state of the art technologies, including computerised decision-making and a very sophisticated telecommunication system. Their operating costs typically are in million of dollars. By contrast, the dabbawalla system uses virtually no technology, is limited to face-to-face communication, and is as informal as a system of this size can be. Yet, it registers an outstanding performance on both cost and reliability of delivery, proving that a labour-intensive, technologically unsophisticated logistical system can be as efficient and effective as a technologically sophisticated (Western) logistical system of the same design. The authors conclude that an organisational and logistical system that fits its cultural and geographic niche can survive and, more importantly, prosper.
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