AGC Glass North America to Close Its Blue Ridge Plant in Kingsport, Tenn

A lack of solar glass demand led AGC Glass North America to close its Blue Ridge Plant in Kingsport, Tenn., affecting an estimated 70 jobs. Company spokesman Chris Correnti says AGC is hoping to transition a few of the plant's employees to its facilities in Church Hill, Tenn., and Abingdon, Va. According to Correnti, AGC officials told Blue Ridge Plant workers this morning of the line's closure, attributing the shutdown to a sluggish economy. "The solar demand is down globally and the market is saturated with imports, particularly from China both in modules and glass here in North America, " says Correnti. "We just don't have the customer demand to support operations here anymore. There is no belief that this will change in the next few years given the current marketing conditions and the economy. " Correnti continues to say despite the plant's closure, the company will now have the ability to better focus on AGC's long-term goals. "Long term, now we'll be able to focus on all of our other glass operations and glass markets including our automotive and architectural markets. We also supply other types of solar products so hopefully we will continue to have a place in that marketplace. " AGC is headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga. Source: usgnn