Piramal Glass to lay off 190 workers

Piramal Glass in Park Hills plans to lay off 190 workers — 40 percent of the work force — due to slower sales and the weak economy.

About 160 hourly Local 8734 Steelworkers were told Monday while another 30 salaried workers were notified Tuesday, said Scott Winder, director of human resources.

The layoffs are effective Nov. 10.

About 277 employees remain at the plant.

“We don’t have enough business to run two tanks,” he said. “A 24/7 operation won’t last because of a drop in sales. With the tightening of the credit markets, we have high inventory in the warehouse and lot of cash tied up in that. We can’t afford to put more cash in and we won’t be able to borrow more money. Normally when a business hits a lull in the market, it can borrow money to carry it through those rough times. We have to cut back.”

Winder said he hopes the factory can hire some workers back in mid-January after a deteriorated tank is rebuilt.

“Running a one-tank operation is not that profitable,” he said. “It’s not something we want to do longer than two months.”

Mumbai, India-based Piramal Glass manufactures cosmetic, pharmaceutical and specialty glass.