Owens-Illinois Glass Company - Muncie, Indiana, Plant

Owens-Illinois Will

Close Factory Here

337 Employed at

TV Tube Plant

TO CLOSE DOWN JULY 15 . . . Most operations at the Owens-Illinois plant on Macedonia Ave., will cease on July 15, idling 337 persons. The plant has been in operation 82 years. — Evening Press Photo.

Owens-Illinois, Inc. announced today that it is closing "with great reluctance" its 82-year-old Muncie plant on Macedonia Ave.

The plant, which currently has 337 employees, has been producing face panels for color television picture tubes since 1964.

"The decision to close the plant was made with great reluctance and only after years of efforts to keep the plant operating," Sam F. Schillaci, vice president of the company's Consumer and Technical Products Division and general manager of Television Products, said today. "However, we have no alternative because the plant's age and its layout make it impractical to adapt it to the production of the type of color television parts that are now required by the industry.

"In order to meet the demands of color television set manufacturers, Owens-Illinois would, in effect, have to completely rebuild the Muncie plant. Since our larger modern plants at Columbus, Ohio, and Pittston, Pa., are now supplying all of the needs of the available market, and can continue to do so, such a new plant is not needed in the foreseeable future."

NO USE FOUND

FOR PLANT

Schillaci said he had explored with other company divisions the possibility of their taking over the Muncie plant for their operations.

"Unfortunately, none of them have any need for the plant now," he added.

The plant's batch, furnace and forming departments will cease operations at 7 a.m. on Saturday, July 15, while other departments will continue operating until their work is completed. The plant is expected to be completely closed by Sept. 1.

A small maintenance and security force will remain at the plant after manufacturing operations end.

In a letter to plant employes, Schillaci assured them that Owens-Illinois would do everything possible to help them find other employment in the Muncie area. Long-service employes who are eligible for early retirement will be offered that option and the company also will contact other O-I plants in the interest of plant employes who are willing to move to other cities.

Eligible employes will be paid severance pay in accordance with company policy, Schillaci said.

The Owens-Illinois plant was built in 1890 by the Hemingray Co. to manufacture its world famous Hemingray glass insulators for use by the communications industry. The Hemingray company was founded in Cincinnati in 1848 but moved 42 years later as a result of flood damage to its Cincinnati plant and the discovery in Muncie of natural gas.

Owens-Illinois bought the plant in 1933 and two years later shifted the manufacture of its then popular glass block to Muncie. Sales of both glass block and the Hemingray insulators began to decline in the 1950's and the plant finally ended production of both items in 1966.

Owens-Illinois began trying to find other uses for the Muncie plant as early as 1960, when it starting producing black and white television parts for assembly by the company's television bulb plant at Columbus, Ohio. The plant has made color television face panes since 1964.