The story
Firozabad is known as India's glass city. Bangle making in small pot furnaces grew into a wider industry of tableware, decorative glass and lighting glass made in tank furnaces. Because the town lies inside the Taj Trapezium Zone, furnaces run on piped natural gas instead of coal. Thousands of household units decorate and finish raw bangles that the furnace units produce.
In numbers
Firozabad has close to 4,000-5,000 manufacturing and household units that generate employment for more than 5,00,000 people (estimate).
Cluster Diagnostic Report and Action Plan: Glass Cluster, Firozabad (TCSP, Office of DC MSME) · 2019About 130-140 pot-furnace units make mainly bangles, and close to 40-45 tank-furnace units make tableware, containers and scientific glass.
Cluster Diagnostic Report and Action Plan: Glass Cluster, Firozabad (TCSP, Office of DC MSME) · 2019Firozabad contributes 70% of the total glass production in India's unorganised sector; nearly 35% of its glass products are exported.
Cluster Diagnostic Report and Action Plan: Glass Cluster, Firozabad (TCSP, Office of DC MSME) · 2019As per DIC Firozabad data, glass products of over INR 278 crore were exported from Firozabad in 2017-18.
Cluster Diagnostic Report and Action Plan: Glass Cluster, Firozabad (TCSP, Office of DC MSME) · 2019The glass industry has a total production capacity of close to 5,000-6,000 tonnes per day.
Cluster Diagnostic Report and Action Plan: Glass Cluster, Firozabad (TCSP, Office of DC MSME) · 2019
GI tag
- Firozabad GlassApplication no. GI Application No. 155; Registration No. 202GI Registry, IP India - Application 155: Firozabad Glass
Ways in for a newcomer
- Bangle decoration and finishing as job work for furnace units
- Supplying packing material, colours and raw material (silica sand, soda ash, cullet) to furnaces
- Glass recycling and cullet collection for furnaces
- Designing and exporting decorative glass and lighting products
Problems the cluster faces
- Dependence on piped natural gas: supply cuts and price rises hit furnaces directly
- Heat, safety and child-labour concerns in household bangle work
- Old furnaces with high energy use and poor quality consistency
- Competition from cheaper machine-made and imported glassware
Businesses to start here
Glass Bangles Making →Glass Bowl Making →Glass Bulb Shell Making →Mouth-Blown Glass Hollowware →Decorative Glassware →Glass Recycling (Cullet and Glass Powder) →Toughened Glass Processing →