O-I Glass is closing a plant in Streator, Illinois, and idling its innovation center in Perrysburg, Ohio, where the company is headquartered, according to local news reports.
Shaw Local reported that the Streator factory will cease commercial operations on or after Nov. 18, impacting 152 employees, some of whom are represented by United Steelworkers unions. Streator is one of 17 total United States locations listed in O-I’s Americas segment.
O-I Glass has teased multiple furnace closures since new CEO Gordon Hardie announced a “competitiveness” program, dubbed Fit to Win, which involves footprint optimization. At the end of July, Hardie said six furnace closures would happen over the next three quarters, representing about 4% of O-I’s capacity. However, the company had not shared specifics about locations…