Punjab to develop machines for perforated bricks

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 25

To promote automation in brick kiln industry, especially to manufacture clay-fired resource efficient bricks (REBs), also called hollow or perforated bricks, the Punjab Government is planning to develop the machines locally in association with local fabricators. The proposed move will not only bring down the cost of the machines significantly but also result in huge savings in terms of soil and energy.

The high cost of machinery, which is dominated by European and Chinese manufacturers, is deterrent to the growth of the industry. At present, a European machine, having capacity to produce 50,000 bricks per day, costs around Rs 1.2 crore while a Chinese machine costs Rs 80 lakh.

There are over 3,000 brick kilns in the state that are into manufacturing of solid clay bricks by manual moulding. Out of the total, only four units have deployed automatic machines to manufacture REBs.

Addressing a workshop on clay-fired REBs here, Dr NS Kalsi, Additional Chief Secretary, Punjab, asked the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology to develop the machines locally with the help of local fabricators.

The shift towards REBs would help in saving fuel and related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along with significant reduction in the consumption of top (agricultural) soil which is the main raw material in brick making. Increased use of REBs in building construction would result in reducing material consumption (cement, steel) due to decreased dead load and reduction in energy consumption of buildings due to improved insulation properties of the REBs.

The Punjab PWD has recently included the clay-fired perforated bricks in their common schedule of rates. Also, to promote the usage of REBs in government projects, he asked the PWD engineers to prepare a 100-page report stating where these bricks can be used and the savings the government can make by deploying it, in government construction activities. He also advised the department to avail benefits of REBs and start using these products on a priority basis.

Currently, the total installed capacity of REBs in the state is around 6 crore bricks per annum.