Owens-Illinois, which has a plant in Godfrey, Ill., plans to become Europe's largest maker of glass beer bottles through the potential $1.4 billion acquisition of BSN Glasspack S.A. of France.The Toledo, Ohio-based firm counts St.
Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. among its largest customers. Owens-Illinois makes glass bottles for beer and other drinks, glass food jars and plastic prescription containers.
BSN, the second-largest glass container maker in Europe, makes bottles for wine, distilled spirits and beer, and other packaging.
Owens-Illinois (NYSE: OI) employs nearly 30,000 people and had sales of more than $6 billion in 2003. BSN employs more than 6,000 people and operates 19 plants around Europe.
Last month, Owens-Illinois laid off about 45 hourly workers at its manufacturing plant in Godfrey, Ill., due to an immediate downturn in business.