Q: 1: What kind of supply chain is the Dabbawala system following?

A: Dabbawala system is following the serial supply chain.

Serial supply chain:

Pick up Dabba
from Home

Returning
Dabba

Brought to

Station

Sorting at
destination
station

Journey in local
train

Uploading and
sorting at
destination

Collection of
empty Dabba

Delivery to
customer

For the efficiency of their supply chain it has been claimed that it virtually achieves a 6 sigma
performance rating i.e. 99.9999 % of deliveries are made without any error.

Q: 2: How are information and material flows managed?

A: As most of the Dabbawalas are illiterate so the coding system is used in order to their
convenience and for the avoidance of any mistake. Moreover they have a flat hierarchy .The code
on the lid of each dabba had three main symbols.

First, the large and bold number in the center indicated the neighborhood where lunch boxes had

to be delivered
Secondly, on the lid edge was a group of codes, a numerical code for the dabbawala, who would

make the delivery

Lastly, another symbol on the lid egde- a combination of colors, motifs, or shapes indicated the
station of origin. Each group created its own symbol of color codes.

GH
Code for Dabbawala at
residential station
Code for destination
station

Suburb Name

D 13 PEX9
Code for dabbawala at
destination