Shreveport Libbey Glass Plant Closing on December 31

The end of the road is near for the 450 workers at Shreveport's Libbey Glass plant. The local plant is closing by the end of this year. Libbey Inc has been working to reduce costs and align its manufacturing capability. Libbey is one of the world's largest glass tableware manufacturers.

KEEL News contacted a local representative who told us the plant and the Factory Outlet store will be closing on December 31st.

Libbey Glass has been in Shreveport since 1922. That's 98 years and it's sad to see it leave.

The Factory Outlet store is having a "store closing sale." Everything is 40% off. No specific date has been set for when the store will close.

Mike Bauer, chief executive officer of Libbey, said, "Over the last few years, we have experienced declining demand in our core markets, which has contributed to overcapacity. This has been exacerbated by COVID-19. The recommendation to close our facility in Shreveport will better align our cost structure with current and expected customer demand as we position Libbey for the future.

He added:

Although difficult, we believe this is a necessary step in transforming Libbey for success in the post-COVID-19 era, and we recognize the impact it could have on our 450 employees in Shreveport, their families and the communities in which we operate. We will work constructively with the unions representing Libbey employees and will keep all stakeholders informed as we consider our final decision about our continued operations.

Libbey, Inc is based in Toledo, Ohio. We have reached out to the corporate office to find out if any of the local employees will be relocating to other facilities. We are awaiting a response.