Owens-Illinois (Toledo)

In 1907, Owens-Illinois (Toledo) opened its doors as the Owens Bottle Machine Corporation. A merger in 1929 with the Illinois Glass Company of Alton, Illinois became the Owens-Illinois Glass Company. The merger was successful and the company proceeded to grow in spite of the Great Depression.

Today Owens-Illinois products have reached India, New Zealand, Australia, and Asia-Pacific. They are the largest manufacturer of glass containers in all of these areas, including North and South America, and the second largest in Europe. Worldwide, it is estimated that one in every two containers of glass is produced by Owens-Illinois or its subsidiaries.

The company purchased Libbey Glass in 1935, which put Owens-Illinois Glass in the tableware consumer market. In order to stay in competition with Corning Glass, their largest market rival, Owens-Illinois started to experiment with glass fibers. In time, the two companies merged and formed Owens-Corning Fiberglass Company, which made fiberglass products. Eventually, each company sold all Owens-Corning shares.

During and after World War II, the company stayed mainly in glassmaking. A line of boiler insulation and asbestos pipe was added to its product list in 1948. Small parts of the business, these products were marketed with the name Kaylo, which continued to 1958, at which time they sold the production to Owens-Corning.

Plastics were added to the Owens-Illinois line during the 1950’s, including consumable products such as plastic containers for detergents and condiments. This move proved to be amazingly profitable since more products continued to switch to plastic instead of glass containers. Eventually, the company diversified even further and in the latter part of the 1960’s, they dropped the word "glass" from their name.

Some experts argued at the time that moving away from glass and many other changes in the company affected its bottom line. Partly because of growing debt, in 1987 it was sold to the Oil Acquisition Corporation. It was then divested of all non-core operations and eventually achieved solvency. The growth of Owens-Illinois continued throughout the 1990s. They started other operations worldwide, opened plants, and in 1997, acquired Anchor Glass.

Because of it production of asbestos pipe, boiler insulation and fiberglass products, many employees of Owens-Illinois were exposed to asbestos, a natural mineral that releases tiny sharp fibers when disturbed or handled. These fibers are inhaled and burrow into the lining of the lungs, abdomen and heart, producing tumors called mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer.