Glass manufacturer Owens Illinois (O-I) Australia has announced that it will close one of its three furnaces in Spotswood, Melbourne leaving approximately 74 workers without jobs.

Production at the Spotswood plant is largely centred around making glass bottles for the beer and wine industry. The closure of one furnace reportedly comes as a result of a fall in demand for beer and wine production nationally.

The Spotswood furnace is expected to close at the end of March 2012.