A major employer near the town of Simsboro in Lincoln Parish is expected to lay off about 200 employees next month. Ardagh Glass says the layoffs will take effect July 23rd. Simsboro Mayor Sybil Foster says the move will hit the community hard.

“It’s one of the major employers in our area, everybody’s going to feel some effect of it.”

Ardagh Glass produces glass containers for brands including Tabasco, Smucker’s, Tito’s Vodka, and others at the facility in Simsboro.  What is chipping away at the glass industry? The mayor says it is demand for other materials.

“Too many people are going to plastic containers, which cuts down on the need for glass.”

The mayor says the layoffs are expected to last for months and expressed her concern that production levels may not return to what they once were.

“They are saying that the layoffs may exceed six months, so I don’t know if the production will come back to the way it is now or if it will be reduced or what.”

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