O-I Glass to idle two Montreal lines and cut up to 20% of staff after Anheuser-Busch contract ends
O-I Glass plans to idle two of the six production lines at its Pointe-Saint-Charles plant in Montreal after a four-year supply contract with Anheuser-Busch, a subsidiary of AB InBev, came to an end. About 10% of the roughly 340 employees are to be laid off for an indefinite period from 6 October 2026, with some 30 further posts going about two weeks later, according to Le Journal, which links the lost contracts to the US-Canada tariff dispute. Between 60% and 70% of the plant's output is normally exported to the United States; the plant director cited a more difficult and uncertain business environment and local management declined to comment.
Why this mattersLoss of a major US beverage contract is cutting lines and headcount at a Canadian glass plant, exposing how far such sites depend on US demand.
- Two of the plant's six production lines are to be idled, one of them running at 400 bottles per minute.
- The end of a four-year supply contract with Anheuser-Busch, a subsidiary of AB InBev, contributed heavily to the decision.
- About 10% of the plant's roughly 340 workers are to be laid off for an indefinite period from 6 October 2026.
- A second round about two weeks later would affect roughly 30 more employees, taking the total to 20% of the workforce.
- 60% to 70% of the plant's bottle and jar output is normally exported to the United States.
- The Pointe-Saint-Charles plant is nearly 125 years old and among the oldest of O-I, which operates in nine countries.