The O-I Glass plant in Waco, Texas, USA, will lay off 90 people in a workforce restructuring that company officials blamed on furnace damage from the freeze of February 2021.
“One of our furnaces has experienced ongoing damage and continued decline in performance due to thermal shock resulting from the power and gas outages during the event,” O-I said.
A recent assessment convinced the company to indefinitely suspend operating the furnace, one of three the plant operates in Waco. It will restructure the workforce and the facility “to focus on the two remaining furnaces.”
The company said its “indefinite” lay-off would impact 25 percent of its Waco employees.
O-I Glass management met personally with employees and labour union officials to discuss lay-offs “and provide them with transition support,” said Jim Woods, company spokesperson.
The news release said O-I glass “has been a proud manufacturer of glass packaging in Waco since 1944, operating three furnaces and seven production lines to serve the beer, spirits and non-alcoholic beverage markets.”