HEAR THAT GIANT SUCKING SOUND - Parkersburg's Schott Glass Going Abroad

(10/02/2003)

Another large employer in the Mid-Ohio Valley has announced plans to pull out of the area. Schott Corporation says it's tubing production at Schott Scientific Glass on Route 47 in Parkersburg will be shifted abroad to existing facilities in Germany, Spain and Brazil, where the labor market is much cheaper. About 190 people will lose their jobs. The company, originally owned by Corning, once employed 600-700 workers. Dr. Leopold von Heimendahl, Scott Glass chairman, says the decision is an effort to consolidate resources for more efficient production. The transfer is expected to be completed by July 31, 2004. Schott Scientific Glass employs about 190 people in Parkersburg, producing borosilicate glass tubing for pharmaceutical packaging and industrial use. Schott has 19,500 employees worldwide, with only 2,700 jobs still in the USA or North America. More General Electric employees in Parkersburg may soon be losing their jobs. The company will likely close its downtown data center, eliminating nine technical and management jobs. GE has 300,000 employees, with more now being located in foreign countries. Several thousand "working class" and high-tech jobs have left the L-K region in the past five years, most going to Mexico and other foreign countries.

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