Ball Corporation Completes Acquisition of Extruded Aluminum Packaging Facility in Mexico

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) today completed its acquisition of Envases del Plata S.A. de C.V., a leading producer of aluminum aerosol packaging with a manufacturing plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

The San Luis Potosi plant produces extruded aluminum aerosol cans for personal care and household products to customers in North, Central and South America. It employs approximately 150 people.

The plant is part of Ball's metal food and household products packaging division, Americas, and complements Ball's global extruded aluminum aerosol and slug business in Europe, and its aluminum slug business in North America that Ball acquired in 2010. Ball is the largest supplier of extruded aluminum slugs in the world, and this acquisition provides a new end market for Ball's products including the company's technology that enables meaningful lightweighting in the manufacture of extruded aluminum packaging.

Ball has chosen not to form a joint venture under the terms previously discussed in Ball's Oct.1 announcement that would have combined Ball's and Envases del Plata Group's aerosol operations in South America. Ball will continue to operate its aerosol manufacturing plants in San Luis and Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of the company's metal food and household products packaging division.

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 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2011 sales of more than $8.6 billion. 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 on 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; political instability and sanctions; 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 recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, 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; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Corporation