[Swiss] Sarner Cristal Closed

Swiss crystal manufacturer Sarner Cristal announced it was to close its glassworks in Uetendorf, near Thun, at the end of March 2006, making 17 workers redundant. The closure was said to be brought about by the high price of gas, which had risen from EUR 341/tonne in 2005 to EUR 682 at the start of 2006. Sarner used nearly 0.7/t gas per day. The firm was originally set up in 1957. The owners were not able to develop a social play for their employees and now plan to produce under the Sarner Cristal brand through selected glassworks in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Germany. (whole item)