PERRYSBURG, Ohio (AP) -- Glass container maker Owens-Illinois Inc. expects to close an Italian plant by the end of the year as it continues realigning global capacity.
Production from the facility in Castel Maggiore will be transferred to other company facilities, including other Italian plants.
Late last month, the company said it expects to close a plant in Lavington, British Columbia, by Oct. 31. Production will move to other plants in North America to reduce energy consumption and production costs, Owens-Illinois said.
In July, the company said it will close a plant in Toronto Sept. 30 and expand another in New Zealand. Production from Toronto will shift to other North American plants.
The $60 million New Zealand expansion is expected to increase the annual output of glass containers by 90,000 tons, to 2.2 million bottles a day, and should be complete by the first quarter of 2010.
Shares rose $1.04, or 2.3 percent, to $45.61 in morning trading. In the last 52 weeks, shares have ranged from $37.33 to $60.60.
