Glass container maker Owens-Illinois cites efforts to reduce costs with layoffs

11/16/2012

Glass packaging maker Owens-Illinois Inc. said Thursday it laid off 25 employees this week at its Perrysburg headquarters campus in an effort to reduce costs.

The layoffs, which took place Wednesday, involve employees in the company’s engineering operations and in various administrative positions.

Stephanie Johnston, a company spokesman, said the cuts were the result of an ongoing evaluation of operations and efforts to identify areas where it can reallocate and conserve resources or eliminate positions. Ms. Johnston said O-I also made scattered layoffs throughout its North American operations and made management changes at some of its operations around the world.

The spokesman added that O-I, a global leader in glass bottles and other glass containers, is constantly looking at where changes can be made in personnel. “We can’t say this would happen on a regular basis, although it happened last year around this time,” she said.

In December, the company laid off 30 employees in Perrysburg after a similar evaluation determined where costs could be reduced.

O-I’s headquarters operation has about 1,000 employees.