The story
Aligarh has made locks for well over a century, and the name of the city is used across India for a sturdy padlock. Under British rule the trade was organised and a metal workshop was set up to train artisans in lock-making. Today thousands of small workshops and home units each do one step - casting, pressing, key cutting, plating or assembly - and sell through traders across India. The city also makes brass hardware and metal statues.
In numbers
The lock industry in Aligarh comprises over 6,400 registered and over 3,000 home units, and employs nearly two lakh workers.
Prospects and challenges: A case of Aligarh lock industry (Journal of Research in Business and Management, Vol 8 Issue 12) · 2020According to industry members, nearly 80 per cent of the total production of locks takes place in Aligarh.
Prospects and challenges: A case of Aligarh lock industry (Journal of Research in Business and Management, Vol 8 Issue 12) · 2020UNIDO and the Ministry of Small Scale Industries agreed in 2001 to implement a National Programme for the Development of the Indian Lock Industry, with a budget of Rs 5.52 crore over two years.
Prospects and challenges: A case of Aligarh lock industry (Journal of Research in Business and Management, Vol 8 Issue 12) · 2020
GI tag
- Aligarh TalaApplication no. GI Application No. 664; Registration No. 448GI Registry, IP India - Application 664: Aligarh Tala
- Aligarh Metal Statue CraftApplication no. GI Application No. 1138; Registration No. 768GI Registry, IP India - Application 1138: Aligarh Metal Statue Craft
Ways in for a newcomer
- Job work in pressing, plating, key cutting and lock assembly
- Branded locks for online marketplaces and hardware retail chains
- Supplying springs, levers, brass parts and packaging to lock makers
- Precision parts for defence-corridor and automotive buyers
Problems the cluster faces
- Cheaper imported locks with better finish
- Old tools and little mechanisation in small units
- Cash shortages and slow working capital for micro units
- Pollution from electroplating units
Businesses to start here
Tumbler Lock (Padlock) Manufacturing →Auto Lock Manufacturing →Digital Safe Locker Assembly →Nuts, Bolts, Washers and Rivets (Light Engineering) →Non-Ferrous Castings Foundry (Brass, Bronze, Gun Metal) →Metal Handicraft Unit →