Covid-19 has caused a number of French glass manufacturing plants to suspend production or temporarily close.

Verallia, Verescence, Pochet du Courval, Saverglass, Baccarat and Arc International are among those affected.

Saverglass has suspended production for two weeks at its French plants.

It said it had been closely monitoring the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic where it operates. It has taken measures to minimise the risk to staff, facilities and customers.

But it said it had to face up to stoppage of supply of key materials as well as the closure of many of its customers' sites.

It said: “As a result, we have decided to reduce, as of today, glass production for two weeks.

“The stopped installations will be put on standby allowing a quick restart. Our decoration activities are discontinued as of today for two weeks.”

The suspension applies to its French plants only.

Luxury French glassmaker Baccarat has stopped production for the first time in its history as a result of Covid-19.

The glassmaking site has temporarily stopped production until April 26.

Almost of its 520 staff are without work, although a maintenance team will be kept on site to feed its furnace.

Workers were told last week about the shutdown and will meet today (Tuesday) to discuss compensation terms.

Pochet du Courval’s glassworks will remain on partial closedown until March 31 after workers tested for coronavirus. Its sites in Guimerville, Gamaches and Beaugency are all affected.

Output from Verallia’s furnace in Oiry has been reduced and two of its four machines on site have been put on hold.

French tableware glass manufacturer Arc International has reduced its output by 70% and temporarily decreased its workforce from 2400 to 700.

The Arques-based glassmaker said the measures were in order to reduce the density of staff in its hangars and comply with the social distancing measures adopted in France to fight the pandemic.

The company successfully adopted the same methods at its Nanjing site in China in January after the country went into lockdown.

It will also be implemented in its Millville, New Jersey, USA, factory.

Due to a lack of measures in force in Russia, Arc has not changed its production at its Gus-Khrustalny site.

Its factory in Ras Al-Khaïma, UAE is also running as usual.

Perfumery and cosmetics glass manufacturer Verescence said it had ‘significantly reduced the activity of its French factories’.

It said large French customers, large cosmetics groups, had drastically reduced their packaging activity. It is reducing activity at its Somme, Mers-les-Bains and Abbeville, and in the Orne region.

This is to minimise the impact on its operations while maintaining sufficient activity to continue to support customers still in operation.

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