Park Hills glass plant to lay off nearly 200 as economy slows down

Piramal Glass, a glass-bottle maker based in India, plans to temporarily lay off 40 percent of the work force at its Park Hills, Mo., factory to offset tough economic conditions, a company official said Tuesday.

About 160 hourly workers were notified Monday, and about 30 salaried workers will be contacted by today, said Scott Winder, the human resources director.

The layoffs will start Monday, Winder said, and are expected to last until mid-January. The factory makes bottles for laboratories, medicine, cosmetics and liquor.

"Right now, our sales demand only requires us to run one furnace," Winder said. "We have high levels of inventory in our warehouses. … Christmas orders are down as well."