Interviewer
Christina Kasprzak
Files
Download Full Text (24.8 MB)
Description
This interview is one of a series conducted with former employees of the Huntington Owens-Illinois, Inc. glass bottle factory. Mr. Dennis M. Silvis was the plant manager at Owens-Illinois, Inc. in Huntington, West Virginia, from September of 1990 until the plant shutdown in December of 1993. In this interview, Mr. Silvis discusses his career with Owens-Illinois, Inc., the changes he made when he came to the Huntington facility, and the reasons for the shutdown. The decision to close the plant, Mr. Silvis believes, was largely due to decreased demand due to plastics and global markets as well as high raw material and transportation costs. Mr. Silvis also talks about union-company relations, gender and race issues in employment, the hierarchical structure at the factory, and the social activities at the Huntington plant. He goes into great detail describing the factory in terms of the number of employees, technology and machinery, and profit level. Mr. Silvis also talks about management styles and his personal views on the KKR leveraged buyout of the Owens company.
Publication Date
1994
Identifier
OH64-530
Type
Text
Comments
Interview is included in the Marshall University Oral History Collection. The index number is OH64-530.
Rights
Educational use only, no other permissions given. Copyright to this resource is held by the content creator, author, artist or other entity, and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission of the copyright owner.
Recommended Citation
Marshall University Special Collections, OH64-530, Huntington, WV.
Library of Congress Subjects
Silvis, Dennis M. -- Autobiography.
Owens-Illinois, Inc. Glass Container Division (Huntington, W. Va.) -- Oral histories.
Owens-Illinois, Inc. Glass Container Division (Huntington, W. Va.). Retirees' Association -- Oral histories.
Glass container industry -- Huntington (W. Va.) -- Oral histories.
Shift systems -- Oral histories.