Some 700 people are expected to lose their jobs at a hollow glass plant, Egyesult Magyar Csomagolouveg (EMCS, United Hungarian Container Glass), owned by Owens Illinois in Sajoszentpeter, Hungary, which faces immediate closure. News of the closure was unexpected and in September 1998 an investment plan had been announced to speed up the modernisation process of the site and to make the plant a basis for the production of coloured glass. The Russian economic crisis is being blamed for a drastic fall in demand for container glass used in the Hungarian food industry. Local food processing companies producing mainly for the Russian and other CIS markets have lost considerable market share and demand for glass containers has fallen. It is reported that the plant at Sajoszentpeter also suffered from dumping imports of inexpensive containers used by processors and bottlers.
