Shocked staff are coming to terms with the news that Sunderland's last industrial glass manufacturer is to close with the loss of 240 jobs. Centuries of commercial glass manufacturing on Wearside will come to an end when the Arc factory shuts down, less than 18 months after it was taken over by new owners.The former Newell Cookware plant in Millfield, which manufactures Pyrex, was sold to French company Arc Oct/05. Negotiations are underway with workers & unions after the company announced 18/01 that the plant will close at the end of Sept/07. Just 25 staff will be kept on to distribute products from the factory's warehouse. The firm blamed spiralling bills for energy & raw materials, coupled with a lack of orders, for the decision. Production of its cookware range, including Pyrex, will be transferred to two of its French factories. A statement from Arc said: "The cost of power supplies in the UK has doubled over the last four years, the cost of raw materials is much higher than on the European continent and the production capacity is not sufficiently exploited."
