§1What this business is
Super-enamelled copper wire is wound on bobbins on an automatic coil-winding machine. CRGO steel stampings are fitted, the assembly goes into a mild-steel enclosure, the leads are brought to a connector, and it is filled with polyester resin and vacuum-impregnated. Each choke is marked, tested to IS 6616:1982 and packed. Sodium vapour lamps light streets and highways; mercury vapour lamps were used for flood and factory lighting.
Capacity: 6,000 chokes a year (500 a month), worth ₹34.80 L at ₹580 each.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A coil-winding technician who already sells to lighting makers or street-light contractors.
Who it is not for
A newcomer: the market for these chokes is shrinking as cities move to LED.
Advantages
- Small fixed capital (₹1.34 L)
- Simple winding and potting process
- Sold to lighting makers and municipal contractors
- Same set-up can wind other chokes and small transformers
Drawbacks
- LED street lights are replacing sodium lamps, so demand is falling
- Mercury vapour lamps are being phased out because of mercury
- Copper and CRGO steel are most of the cost
- Many units already in the field (profile)
Skills you need
- Coil winding
- Vacuum impregnation and potting
- Testing to IS 6616
- Selling to lighting contractors
Why difficulty 3/5: Simple technology, but a shrinking market as LEDs replace vapour lamps.
§3Market
Who buys
- Street-light and flood-light makers
- Municipal and highway lighting contractors
- Electrical wholesalers
How it sells
- Supply to lighting makers
- Electrical trade dealers
- Contractor tenders
Good to know
- The profile ties demand to new highways and city lighting.
- Cities are now replacing sodium and mercury lamps with LED fittings, which use drivers instead of chokes.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic coil winding machine with motors | 1 | ₹25,000 |
| Vacuum impregnation plant | 1 | ₹23,000 |
| Electric oven, 3 kW | 1 | ₹10,000 |
| Manual shearing machine | 1 | ₹5,000 |
| Resin mixer with motor | 1 | ₹2,000 |
| Soldering irons, pliers, scissors and other tools | 1 lot | ₹5,000 |
| Test bench with dimmerstat, voltmeter, wattmeter, ammeter | 1 | ₹12,000 |
| High-voltage tester 0–5 kV, megger 500 V, 2 multimeters | 1 lot | ₹12,100 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Chokes for Sodium/Mercury Vapour Lamps (2003)
- Super-enamelled copper wire, 17.5 SWG500 kg a month at ₹190/kg = ₹95,000
- CRGO electrical stampings1,750 kg a month = ₹1,13,750
- Mild-steel enclosures500 a month at ₹12 = ₹6,000
- Bobbins, insulating paper, connectors, polyester compound, hardware, packing₹13,000 a month
From: DC-MSME project profile — Chokes for Sodium/Mercury Vapour Lamps (2003)
Suppliers in Building Business Bazaar
Quality Machine Tools · Mumbai →Vacuum Plants & Instruments Mfg. Co. (P) Ltd · Pune →Filco Electric Industries · Mumbai →Hindustan Wire Products · Patiala →India Cable Co. Ltd · Nagpur →S. A. Industries · Kolkata →Technimax · Mumbai →Toshiniwal Brothers Pvt. Ltd · Bengaluru →
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST
- Trade licence from the local body
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CM YUVAUPActiveUp to ₹5 lakh, interest-free
A ₹8.82 L project: PMEGP and MUDRA (Tarun) fit; UP's CM-YUVA covers a smaller start.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: DC-MSME profile: machinery ₹70,000 (automatic coil winder ₹25,000, vacuum impregnation plant ₹23,000, 3 kW oven ₹10,000, shear, resin mixer and tools) + testing equipment ₹24,100 + electrification ₹9,410 + furniture ₹20,000 + pre-operative ₹10,000 = fixed capital ₹1.34 L; working capital for 3 months ₹7.48 L; total ₹8.82 L. Building rented.
Working capital: Working capital for 3 months ₹7.48 L; monthly spend ₹2.49 L, of which copper wire ₹95,000 and CRGO stampings ₹1.14 L.
Prices from 2002–03 — machinery, material and wage costs will be much higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: EEPC India
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
- You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Fast shift to LED street lighting
- Copper price rise
- Rejects from winding faults
- Municipal tenders and late payment
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working chokes (ballasts) for sodium and mercury vapour lamps unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Chokes (Ballasts) for Sodium and Mercury Vapour Lamps?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.