01 — Local economy
Business in Firozabad
Glass is Firozabad's livelihood: furnaces here make a large share of India's glass bangles along with tableware, chandeliers, lamps, bottles and decorative glass. Natural gas replaced coal in the furnaces under pollution rules that protect the nearby Taj Mahal, and bangle work passes from factories to home-based workers who join, cut and decorate the pieces before traders send them across the country.
Where software helps: Bangle makers send glass from furnace units to home-based joiners, cutters and decorators paid by the piece, so tracking material out, finished dozens back, gas cost per batch and wedding-season demand is hard.