Pittsburgh Glass Works, a division of Mexico-based Vitro, announced it would shutter their Creighton facility in mid-2018 and lay off about 200 employees in Deer Park, Pennsylvania. It is anticipated that some of the business will be transferred to PGW's facility in Evansville, Indiana.
Vitro purchased the 135-year-old facility from the iconic PPG, Pittsburgh Plate Glass, in 2016. This was PPG’s original glass plant known as “Works No. 1” and established in 1883.
Management cited a combination of difficult realities in making the decision to close the facility; including a cumbersome and inefficient two-story footprint, excess capacity, and an inability to meet the auto industry's increasing technological demands for automotive glass, and would require significant upgrades and improvement to remain competitive. Not to mention the long-term fire burning in the coal layers located under the plant necessitating costly safety measures.
This is a major blow to the employees, the surrounding businesses, and the township.
Are you asking yourself, Am I Next?