Corning Inc has announced that it is in the process of shutting down its refractories plant which has been in operation in the city of Corning for 84 years. The last product was made on 30 May 2014. The closure will not result in job losses, the company said, as the refractories plant employees are being moved to the firm's other manufacturing sites. Corning purchased the plant in the early 1900s to manufacture clay pots used in glass making. That process evolved into producing temperature-resistant products used in glass melting furnaces and other applications. The plant was expanded in 1998 to make products for Corning's high purity fused silica business. The clousre is due to declining demand for the product and the escalating costs of maintaining the factory.
