BAHRAIN Prism Glass Factory (BPGF) last month inaugurated its state-of-the-art glass factory at the Bahrain International Investment Park in Hidd. The facility was officially opened by Bahrain’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr Hassan bin Abdulla Fakhro.

Built at a cost of $25 million, the new, highly automated plant is considered to be Middle East’s largest glass processor with the  most modern facility for processing high-performance insulated glass. It will provide innovative and creative glass solutions that would meet and surpass the requirements for architectural glass in the region, according to the company.
Latest equipment from world leaders in glass processing machineries like Lisec and Tamglass have gone into making this factory that has a total area of 35,000 sq m and will produce an average of 2,800 sq m per day of processed high-performance insulated glass. This output includes multiple laminated units that meet the requirements of architects and planners.
It includes two cutting lines, two double glazing lines, one Pro-E Magnum furnace and one laminating machine, and aims to cater to customer requirements in Bahrain, but in neighbouring countries.
The company’s expertise extends beyond processed architectural glass. It also produces innovative decorative glass with a dedicated division for art-glass products, which will go into full-fledged production mode by the middle of the year.
The art glass division will supply leaded stained glass windows and doors, stained glass overlay partitions, fibreglass panels, acid-etched glass, sandblasted, carved and airbrushed glass, cluster bevels, glue chipped, fused and slumped glass products, roller-coated and screen-printed glass. These products will be designed in-house using special machineries such as silk-screen printing machine, fusing kiln, bevelling routers and resin dispensing system procured from leading manufacturers. The art-glass division with its value-added products will supplement our intended turnover as envisaged.
Although a new player in the market, BPGF is already off to a flying start with projects signed in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and India, according to T Mani, general manager.
“We have also received enquiries from Central Asia, East Europe and India which are in the advanced stages of negotiation. To date, the company has confirmed orders in hand worth close to BD6.9 million ($18.3 million).
Leaving behind a gloomy year, Mani sees the year ahead as much brighter. “We expect the recessionary pressures to ease out by the third quarter of this year. This is because we know that the banking sector in Bahrain is very strong, thanks to stringent regulatory measures by the government authorities. Investors are cautious and are adopting a wait-and-watch approach. However, things should start turning around by middle of the year and new projects will definitely start off before the year-end,” he says.
Since the company’s products are mainly aimed at the construction sector, the current hiatus is expected to continue for the next two to three quarters, he says. “In hindsight, we at Bahrain Prism are at an advantage to capitalise on the market once it is in full swing.
“We started operations when the recession hit, enabling the factory to ramp up at a steady pace. Currently, we have achieved 40 per cent capacity utilisation in a very short time. Our ramp up process will be completed in the first quarter, and when the market conditions improve towards the last quarter, we are confident of being fully equipped to supply quality products to the customers in a timely manner,” he concludes.
BPGF’s services also include solutions for glass wall systems, point-fixed assemblies, glazed flooring, ballistic glass, entrances along with surface decorations that would be incorporated using a digital printer, ceramic roller coater and silk screen printing machine. All of these activities would be augmented by a seven-axis computer numerically-controlled (CNC) machining centre.