St-Prex: Production shutdown initiated at the end of June

The Verrerie de St-Prex, a traditional Swiss glassworks, has a long and eventful history. Founded in 1911 by Henri Cornaz, it has made a name for itself for over a century with exquisite glassware and is considered the birthplace of the Vetropack Group. The closure of the St-Prex plant was announced in May. This decision was taken by the Board of Directors after a thorough examination of alternative proposals put forward by employee representatives. Two months earlier than planned, an orderly shutdown of production had to be initiated at the end of June for safety reasons. “We did not take this decision lightly, and we examined all proposals submitted to us regarding the future development of the site very comprehensively and in detail,” explains Claude Cornaz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Vetropack Group. “However, we always came to the same conclusion: the future prospects of the St-Prex plant remain negative in terms of profitability and competitive edge – even with an investment running into the millions. Profitable operation would not be possible in the long term. The closure of production is therefore unavoidable.” 

The St-Prex production site, which is over a hundred years old, has undergone numerous modifications and has benefited from major investments over the decades. Despite these efforts, the Vetropack Group’s only Swiss production site suffers from its small size and lack of competitiveness. Glass packaging manufactured at St-Prex cannot be competitive in the European core markets because operating costs for production remain at the same high level. For this reason, a consultation process on the future of the site was already launched at the start of March. The closure of the plant in St-Prex does not mean that Vetropack is withdrawing from its home market of Switzerland, Johann Reiter emphasises: