Despite a number of collaborative efforts with other county officials, the Clarion County (Pennsylvania) Commissioners said on 16 Feb/2010 that the local O-I glass plant is still scheduled to close in July. OI executives informed local workers about the shutdown at the end of January. A meeting was held between local officials & OI leaders 12 Feb, which was attended by OI corporate leaders on site & via conference call, elected officials, legislative aides, as well as labour union officials & representatives from various local organizations. During the meeting, OI officials said that the primary reason for closing the Clarion plant is over-capacity in N American operations, as well as the age of its manufacturing facility & the high costs of renovations in order to raise production to company standards. According to information released from the meeting, O-I plants in Michigan and California are also involved in reduced or shutdown operations, with work moving to factories in Auburn and Toano, while there was nothing said with regards to the potential sale of the Clarion Borough property. The commissioners said that some of the plant's equipment, including a proprietary heating system, would probably be moved to other O-I facilities.
