Glass Bangle Sector Overview:

Hyderabad is the only city in Pakistan where glass bangles are being manufactured.
Hyderabad is the second largest city of Sindh province covering an area of about 93
square kilometers. It is about 168 k.m away from Karachi. This city has very long history
known as Neroon Kot before the invasion in 752 AD. The old town of Hyderabad stands
on the northern-most tip of the limestone ridge called Ganjo Takkar running north to
south and parallel to the River Indus for about 24 kilometers. The hillock is three
kilometers in length with an average elevation of 31 meters. The old town is reflective of
the city's organic growth. Its main bazaar - the Shahi bazaar - which has an average width
of about six to seven meters is crowded at all hours with shoppers. Hyderabad is a city of
inclines which give the place a picturesque appearance. In Hyderabad glass bangle is the
only visible sector besides some clusters like footwear, handicrafts, ceramics, carpets,
wood work, flowers etc.
No other manufactured substance is made from such inexpensive raw materials as sand
(silica), limestone and soda ash and though these basic ingredients are readily available in
Pakistan the glass industry in the country has failed not only to diversify itself beyond
production of sheet glass used in windows and as mirrors; glass containers such as bottles
and jars primary for the use of the pharmaceutical industry and glassware, etc., and to a
lesser extent in glass tubings such as tube-lights and bulbs and tableware---table tops,
ashtrays, decoration etc.
Pakistan has very vast deposits of limestone and silica sand while the production of
another raw material for the manufacture of glass, soda ash has increased. While in
theory glass making involves mixing of large amounts of silica sand with comparatively
smaller amounts of lime and soda ash, and other materials to give the glass special
qualities, and heating the mixture in a furnace until it turns into a syrupy mass, in practice
it is a laborious process that requires specific skills.

Whats going on in world and in Pakistan?

The glass bangle industry in Pakistan is energy intensive as well as labor intensive
industry. Currently there are 30 small and medium glass bangle manufacturing units in
Hyderabad employing around 3 lac people directly and indirectly. In both Pakistan and
India there are only two cities where glass bangles are being manufactured, one is
Hyderabad in Pakistan and other is Firozabad in India. The difference between between
Hyderabad and Firozabad is that units in Firozabad produces decorated ware, bangles,
beads, handmade tumblers and tableware, automobile headlight lenses, glass bulbs, shells
and consumers products such as bowls and ashtrays, while in Hyderabad only bangles
and beads are being manufactured. Other major difference between units in Hyderabad
and Firozabad is that in Hyderabad all units are being operated by gas consumption while
in Firozabad more than 80% units are working through coal. Compared with Hyderabd,
there are small and medium scale units and cottage industry units in Firozabad meeting

the 70 percent of demand for glass products in the country by using pot and tank
furnaces. In Hyderabad all manual furnaces are tank furnaces while some semiautomatic furnaces are pot furnaces.
SMEDA team has conducted initial study and carried out the following tests:
Optical pyrometer temperature
Flue gas analysis
Flue and surrounding temperature
Follwing results were obtained during this study which are being compared with
international standard:

Heat required for glass

melting
Heat required for shaping
Total
O2
CO
Combustion able
Temperature variation
Wastage
Heat Leakage
Heat efficiency

2508 Kcal/kg
787 kcal/kg
3295 kcal/kg
1-3%
0-25 ppm
0-0.02%
50C
5-100 C
50-900 C
44%

9500-13000 kcal/kg
2-7%
25-400 ppm
0-0.35%
20-1500 C
25-35%
200-3000 C

Problems faced by Hyderabad Glass bangle Industry:

There are 29 glass-bangle manufacturing units in Hyderabad, according to Mr.
Mohiuddin-President Hyderabad Glass Bangles Manufacturing Association (HGBMA).
Out of 29, nine are semi-automatic and remaining are manual. Average investment in a
glass-bangle manufacturing unit is Rs.5-6 million. There are about 300,000 people
directly or indirectly involved in the manufacturing, trading, packing, transporting etc of
glass bangle. A semi-automatic unit requires 10-12 labors while manual unit is being
operated by 50-60 labors. The number also depends on number of furnaces in operation.
No proper monitoring:

According to UNIDO research on glass industry, more than 75% of the total energy is
being consumed in the melting process for tank furnace but there is not a single quipment
in any of these 30 units in Hyderabad for monitoring temperature, gas emission while
there is need not only of monitoring but also of controlling instruments to control melting
conditions and efficiency.
Improper ratio of waste glass usage also consumes high energy.
Poor furnace design:
Currently tank furnaces are being used in glass bangle units of Hyderabad. These
furnaces are made by ordinary masons while bricks and binding material used in these
furnaces are inferior quality.
Excessive heat leakage:
Incomplete combustion:
Working on high gas pressure:
Un-grinded cullet:
Becuause of the usage of un-grinded cullet, excessive energy is being consumed.
Working on Higher temperature:
Lack of instruments:
Inconsistency of demand. Peak period of glass bangle sales is before Eid season and in
seasons like Mohram demand is very low.
Manufacturers sell bangles to traders on credit for 3-6 months, some time this credit time
extends up to a year also. So this creates working capital paucity.
Glass bangle manufacturers have to deposit 2.5 times average monthly bill of gas to Sui
Southern Gas Company (SSGC) like Mr.Mohiuddin has deposited 2.5 million to SSGC.