Despite intervention by local, state and federal officials, Owens-Illinois (O-I) will close its glass factory in Clarion in July this year, with the loss of 400 jobs.
Executives of O-I said that the…
Despite intervention by local, state and federal officials, Owens-Illinois (O-I) will close its glass factory in Clarion in July this year, with the loss of 400 jobs. Executives of O-I said that the main reason behind the closure is related to over-capacity in the North American market and that plants in Charlotte, Michigan, Oakland, and Atlanta are also reducing operations or shutting down. The Clarion plant was selected because of its age and the high costs involved in the renovation needed to raise the level of production efficiency. Al Stroucken, the CEO of O-I, confirmed that the decision to close the plant is final and said it would not be sold to a competitor, adding that O-I“s plans are to prepare it to be marketed nationally by a professional industrial realtor in the next 6-12 months.