Libbey Glass (Toledo, Ohio)

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Libbey is the largest producer of glass tableware products in the Western Hemisphere with annual sales in 2010 of $799.8 million..

Originally established in 1818 as the New England Glass Company of East Cambridge, Massachusetts, the glass factory was purchased by William L. Libbey in 1878. With the promise of financial incentives and the nearby presence of generous supplies of sand and natural gas, the factory and its contents was moved by train to Toledo in 1888. In 1892, the name of the company was changed to Libbey Glass.Initially, the company produced handmade cut glass and found nationwide success after its appearance at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

At about the same time, and with the assistance and encouragement of William Libbey, company employee, Michael J. Owens was experimenting with new ways to manufacture glass. In 1901 Owens perfected a machine that could mass produce quality glass bottles. In 1910, using a machine invented by Irving M. Colburn, Owens developed another machine that produced sheets of glass in continuous flow. Both of the machines revolutionized the glass industry by permitting mass production and resulted in the creation of Owens-Illinois and the Libbey Owens Sheet Glass Company.

In 1935, Libbey Glass became a part of Owens-Illinois and following WWII concentrated on high quality, high volume automated production. By 1993, when Libbey became independent, it was the World's second largest glass maker of both commercial and home glass products.

The Toledo plant employs 1,200 workers who produce 55,000 dozen glasses a day working three shifts each day, 359 days a year. The factory produces glassware in over 700 different patterns, from the smallest candle votive glass to the largest hand blown pitcher. Each day over 300 tons of raw material consisting of a mixture of 25% recycled glass, 45% sand and a mix of lime and ash are used.

Libbey's maintains an outlet store at 205 South Erie Street in the Erie Street Market.



retail.libbey.com/