O-I to be known only by initials

4/13/2005

Toledo's second-largest corporation and the world's largest glass-container maker will from now on be known simply as O-I.

However, the Fortune 500 firm will still file its reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under its official name of Owens-Illinois Inc., for now at least.

The firm announced yesterday that it will use the simpler O-I name globally, not only for the company headquartered at One SeaGate downtown but also for its 22 subsidiaries. Those units had been under such names as AVIR in Italy, United Glass Ltd. in Britain, ACI Packaging Services in the Asia Pacific region, and BSN Glasspack, the European glassmaker O-I acquired last year.

"The legal name won't change," said spokesman Sara Theis. "This is a doing-business-as change."

It may take up to 18 months to replace stationery and signs at facilities in North and South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, the spokesman said.

The name change was announced internally in January and some signs already have been changed.

"Everyone calls us O-I anyway," Ms. Theis added.

Many other companies have simplified their more cumbersome official names.

Among them: American Telephone & Telegraph Co. became AT&T Corp.; Minnnesota Mining & Manufacturing became the 3M Co., and International House of Pancakes is now known as IHOP Corp.