Ball to Expand Alumi-Tek® Bottle Production in North America

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Oct 05, 2010, 05:00 ET

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) today announced it is expanding production of its light weight Alumi-Tek® bottle to meet strong customer demand in North America. The company's Golden, Colo., metal beverage packaging plant will begin making Alumi-Tek bottles in the second half of 2011. Ball's Monticello, Ind., plant has been producing the reclosable, recyclable Alumi-Tek bottles for beverage customers since 2006.

"The commercial success of our Alumi-Tek bottle as a value-added package for premium beverages continues to drive volume for Ball," said Michael L. Hranicka, president of Ball's North American metal beverage packaging, Americas, division. "This is a distinctive package that adds the convenience of reclosability and a bottle feel to the long list of aluminum can attributes, such as superior shelf life, the ability to chill quickly, shatter resistance and 100 percent recyclability. Adding Alumi-Tek manufacturing capability to our Golden plant will help us supply our customers' growing need for this innovative beverage package."

Ball leverages its two-piece aluminum beverage can manufacturing expertise to produce the Alumi-Tek bottle because the manufacturing technology for both packages is very similar. The bottles have the same high quality graphics found on cans and are decorated with the same printing process.

The Alumi-Tek expansion in Golden will utilize existing space within the facility. Ball's Golden plant currently produces aluminum beverage cans and ends.

Ball is the largest producer of specialty beverage cans in North America, providing more than 20 sizes to its customers as well as innovative packages such as the Ball Reclosable End, enhanced can graphics and Alumi-Tek. Specialty beverage cans account for about 15 percent of Ball's beverage can business.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,000 people worldwide and reported 2009 sales of more than $7.3 billion including discontinued operations. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit http://www.ball.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the current global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of climate change, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Corporation