Belgium Glass & Ceramics Pvt. Ltd.

Our place, Belgium Glass & Ceramics Pvt. Ltd., is a bit of a drive out on the Jambusar N.H. Road. You have to go past Village Dabhasa in the Padra area to find us. It’s a more open space out here compared to the city, which is good for the kind of work we do. We handle glass and ceramic items, so there’s always a bit of a risk of things breaking if we aren't careful. The facility is quite large because we need the room for the kilns and the storage racks. It gets very hot near the furnaces, so we all drink a lot of water throughout the shift. The floors are concrete and we have to wear heavy boots because of the shards that sometimes end up on the ground. We aren't really set up for visitors who want a tour; it’s a working plant. We have a small office near the gate where the paperwork gets handled, but most of the action is in the back. There’s a lot of dust from the ceramic materials, so we’re always cleaning something. The schedule is pretty fixed. We start early, take our lunch together, and then work until the last batch is done. It’s a steady kind of life. We’ve been out here in Padra for a while, and the local guys from the village help us out quite a bit. It's a simple, gritty way to make a living.