01 — Local economy
Business in Aligarh
Padlocks and door hardware are what most Indian shoppers associate with Aligarh, where a dense network of small units, many of them household workshops, makes locks, hinges, handles and brass fittings. Brass idols and statues, aluminium and zinc die-castings, dairy and meat processing and the agricultural trade of western Uttar Pradesh are the other pillars, and Aligarh Muslim University makes education a major employer.
Where software helps: Lock and hardware makers sell dozens of models in many sizes and finishes, with levers, keys and castings made by household units, so bills of materials and job-work returns are hard to keep straight.