Miller Lite Launches New 16-oz. Alumi-Tek(R) Aluminum Pint Bottles from Ball

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) is bringing its new, 16-oz. Alumi-Tek aluminum beverage bottles to market with Miller Lite. The sleek, resealable bottles feature a wide, 38-mm opening that provides a smooth flow, are quick to chill and are 100 percent recyclable.

"The great taste of Miller Lite gets even better when it's enjoyed from our new aluminum pint," said Grant Leech, vice president of marketing for Miller Lite. "This package drinks like a bottle and cools like a can to deliver an invigorating taste experience."

The Miller Lite aluminum pint will be tested throughout much of the Midwest and South through the end of the year. Test markets for the Miller Lite aluminum pint are Alabama, Arkansas, Dallas, Florida, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. The Miller Lite aluminum pint is intended for off-premise retailers, with a focus on convenience stores. The package will be sold as part of a nine-pack.

In addition to beer, the light weight Alumi-Tek bottle can be used for a wide variety of beverages, such as carbonated soft drinks, juices, energy drinks, and beverages requiring retort processing.

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. Both 12-oz. and 16-oz. bottles are manufactured at Ball's aluminum beverage can plant in Monticello, Ind.

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products for beverage, food and household customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 15,500 people worldwide and reported 2007 sales of $7.4 billion.

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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 Web site and at http://www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials, including recent significant increases in resin, steel, aluminum and energy costs, and the ability to pass such increases on to customers; 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, including our beverage can end project; 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, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. 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 credit squeeze; 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 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

Released September 24, 2008