O-I makes a splash with new bottle plant
By Canadian Packaging Staff
General acquisition Nestlé Waters O-I Owens-Illinois Perrier VDL CompanyPurchases glass plant in France.
Owens-Illinois, Inc. (O-I), the world’s largest glass container manufacturer, has completed a US$15-million acquisition of a single-furnace glass container manufacturing plant in France from VDL Company to become the leading supplier of glass bottles for the famed Perrier naturally-carbonated water.
The Perrysburg, Ohio-headquartered glassmaker says the completion of its long-sought purchase of the 132-employee plant—located in Vergeze near the Nestle Waters‘ Perrier bottling facility—highlights a closer strategic relationship between Nestle Waters and O-I, which has long supplied glass containers for the water-bottler’s popular S. Pellegrino product line brand of mineral and spring waters.
“As a result of this deeper strategic relationship with Nestle Waters, O-I has the opportunity to support some of the pre-eminent brands in the water segment and reinforce glass’ position in this important category,” says O-I Europe president Jose Lorente.
O-I originally announced the intent to acquire the Vergeze plant in November of 2010, pending the completion of a restructuring plan to bring the facility’s costs in line with those of its other European-based factories.
With revenues of US$6.6-billion in 2010, O-I employs more than 24,000 people at 80 plants in 21 countries around the world.
For more information on the company, visit www.o-i.com.
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