The story
Indore became known for the rechargeable 'Kisan torch' that farmers in villages with poor power supply use at night in fields and cattle sheds. Small assemblers buy plastic bodies, batteries and bulbs or LEDs and sell through rural dealers. The cluster is shifting from bulbs to LEDs and from lead-acid batteries to newer cells.
In numbers
The Indore rechargeable torch cluster had 100 units, a turnover of Rs 180-200 crore and employment of 9,000 persons, selling only in the domestic market.
Brief Industrial Profile of Indore District (MSME-DI, Ministry of MSME) · 2016
Ways in for a newcomer
- LED and battery-pack sub-assembly for torch makers
- Plastic moulding of torch bodies
- Solar lantern and solar torch lines
- Rural dealer and repair networks
Problems the cluster faces
- Lead recycling and lead-acid battery pollution
- Need to switch from bulbs to LEDs
- No exports; competition from imported torches
Businesses to start here
Rechargeable Torch Assembly →Plastic Torch (Flashlight) Manufacturing →Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Assembly →Plastic Injection Moulding (Containers) →