Owens-Illinois Glass Company announces closure of Muncie plant

O-I closes

old plant

at Muncie

TOLEDO, OHIO — Owens-Illinois, Inc., announced today that it is closing "with great reluctance" its 82-year-old Muncie, Ind. plant.

The Muncie 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 now are required by the industry."

The plant is expected to be completely closed by September 1.

Schillaci assured plant employees in a letter that Owens-Illinois would do everything possible to help them find other employment in the Muncie area. Long-service employees 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 employees who are willing to move to other cities.

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

The Muncie plant was built in 1890 by the Hemingray Co., to manufacture its world-famous Hemingray glass insulators for use by the communications industry.

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 Hemingray insulators began to decline in the 1950's and the plant ended production of both items in 1966.