Owens Illinois (O-I) has started operations at its Vitória de Santo Antão plant in Pernambuco, Brazil.
The resumption allowed the creation of at least 100 new direct jobs in the region, and more than half were taken by former employees of the company. The production of packaging in the unit had been deactivated in March 2016 and since then only decoration and logistics services remained in place. In 2018, the company announced the reactivation of the plant in order to expand its national capacity. The staff now has more than 160 employees. The investment has increased the sites's production capacity to 65,000 tons, equivalent to 300 million glass containers per year.
Rildo Lima, president of O-I South America, said: “The Vitória de Santo Antão unit adds to the other O-I plants and will be an important manufacturing hub for the north and northeast, as well as providing packaging to other regions. “The goal is to respond quickly to market demands, which are heated due to the improvement in the national economy."
