Corning to Resume Production at Two Plants

CORNING, N.Y., Jan. 7 -- Corning Inc. said it will resume optical fiber production at two North Carolina plants that employ about 2,500 people, starting the week of Jan. 21. The company said some of the 800 workers at its Concord plant and 1700 workers at its Wilmington plant will be recalled, although the exact numbers have not been determined.

Spokesman Paul Rogoski said the resumption of production is not necessarily a sign that demand is picking up. Corning said in October it did not anticipate significant market recovery until late 2002 or 2003.

"We still see flat growth, as far as we can tell, through 2002, but we have continued to work down our inventory," Rogoski said. "It's a combination of meeting current customer demand, having burned through some of that inventory."