Libbey Glass: An American Manufacturing Success

by erin on February 22, 2011

Today it is no great tragedy when a goblet shatters on the tile floor. There was a time, however, when this meant finding an artisan who could match a new one to the rest of the set, a time-consuming and expensive process. These days, mass production has lowered the cost of stemware, and finding a replacement for broken pieces simply means a trip to the right store. One company making this possible is Libbey glass, a significant producer since the late nineteenth century.

Its history is interwoven with the American industrial revolution, back to a time when it was the New England Glass Company and the maker of many kinds of household items. An employee there held a patent on the production of glassware using red lead. In those days, holding the patent meant that no other company could use the exact same technology, which frustrated the competition.

Any kind of lead, of course, is toxic. Using it in the manufacturing process inevitably gave workers more exposure than necessary, and would not be permitted under today’s employee safety and health laws. In those days, however, New England management liked the look this process gave its product, and hesitated to switch to a different process. Other makers, trying to find an acceptable process that did not use lead, came up the lime-soda formula. It was actually invented by a former worker, and radically changed the way silicon-based products were routinely made.

In fact, principles of the soda-lime process are still used today to make drinking containers, bottles, jars, and even in part to make windows. Stubborn management at the New England company, however, refused to make any changes. The financial hard times during the 1870s and waning sales nearly forced the company out of business, and it was saved only by Libbey family members, who renamed it for themselves.

Yet even with the advances in manufacturing, these products were still made in part the old-fashioned way into the early twentieth century. Industry changed radically immediately after the end of World War II. Once there were no more shortages of raw materials, the economy took off, and the truly modern era of manufacturing began. Mass production of inexpensive consumer items exploded, and this company grew along with the expansion.

The public grew to love the boxed “tumbler sets” made for everyday use. Sales of inexpensive pitchers, wine goblets, and more formal drinking and dining ware increased substantially. Better profit margins helped Libbey to expand. The new market dynamics meant that the best money was no longer in simply supplying restaurants and hotels, but in selling directly to the people.

With several locations within the United States and other western hemisphere countries, the company has a visible international presence in China today. There have been bumps in the economic road, and the current worldwide economic downturn has affected businesses everywhere. The company has endured, however, and continues to make container and dining products for cooking, baking and a host of other kitchen-related needs.

No longer does this forward-looking company hesitate to incorporate technology into its business plan. Others have taken note of the “lean manufacturing” policies implemented to streamline efficiency and reduce or stop waste altogether with their products such as water pitchers. The company that once commonly used lead now embraces many “green” philosophies and practices. In 2007, Libbey Glass spearheaded a recycling program, and today helps convert used cast iron, steel, paper products, computers and even basic water and oil into forms that can be reused.

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