Fibreglass is fast replacing wood and steel sheets as it is cheaper, lighter and more durable. The immediate result is that that the small industrial units making it are contributing massively to employment.

Fibreglass used in construction here is both locally made and imported from China. However, handmade Fibreglass is cheaper and is used for the construction of commercial buildings such as shops, sheds, swings for children and in bus stands along the main roads. It is cheaper than wood and steel sheets.

Due to the popularity of fibreglass, most of the city areas have small manufacturing units where fibreglass sheets are handmade. One can find small factories from Golra Mor to Rawat on G.T Road, where workers can be seen manufacturing the colourful sheets.

It takes a day to make a sheet and people can order their own designs. The main materials required are glass fibre sheet, cloth and the fibre chemical. The colour and design of the cloth determines the final look of the sheet. The cloth, typically the same that is used for bed sheets, is laid on a table measuring eight feet wide and 40 feet long.

The chemical mixed with fibre is applied to the cloth with rollers till it is smooth and then let to dry. The fibreglass sheet is ready after five or six hours of drying.

Though it is simple, the whole procedure is conducted by four or five experts at a time or the fibreglass does not come out smooth and that is why the industry provides so much employment.

In the local units, workers make the fibreglass and machines are used to cut the sheets in various shapes and sizes, according to customer requirements.

Mohammad Saleem, the owner of a small unit at Golra Mor told Dawn that the process of making fibreglass is simple but technical. He said fibreglass is also gaining popularity as it is more weather durable. He said the large plants established in Lahore and Quetta have affected business for local units.

“We have been making fibreglass sheets for the last few years and supply to the main market in City Saddar Road. The material is also used for making various decoration items for the garden or rooftops,” he said.

A worker at the fibreglass unit, Mohammad Imran, said the use of the chemicals is difficult and that workers start their day early and work till evening in order to make five sheets a day at least.

“It is difficult work, but it is better than doing construction work in the heat,” he said.

A customer at City Saddar Road, Mohammad Riaz said he was buying some fibreglass for the porch in his house because the material does not absorb heat like steel.

“I have also installed fibreglass sheets on the roof for sheds,” he said, and that window shades made from the material are colourful and look different.

A resident of Peshawar Road, Shafique Ahmed said the fibreglass sheet is also used to counter seepage in walls and they are a good alternative for wood panels and wallpaper.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2018