BLL Ball Corp

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) announced today that it has agreed to acquire certain North American plastic bottle container assets of Alcan Packaging for $180 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2006, subject to certain government approvals and customary closing conditions. Ball will acquire three Alcan plastic container manufacturing plants, in Batavia, Ill.; Bellevue, Ohio; and Brampton, Ontario. Ball will also acquire certain equipment and other assets at Alcan's Newark, Calif., plant and at its Neenah, Wisc., research facility and will continue to operate at those locations during 2006. The business being sold by Alcan Packaging is a leading producer of barrier polypropylene plastic bottles in the United States, largely for foods. The business also manufactures barrier polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles. It currently employs approximately 470 people. "This acquisition enables Ball to supply a broad range of blue chip customers, some of whom are new to us and some of whom know Ball well through our metal food container operations. In addition, these manufacturing plants complement our existing plastic container operations and offer some significant technology opportunities," said R. David Hoover, the company's chairman, president and chief executive officer. Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products and owns Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., which develops sensors, spacecraft, systems and components for government and commercial customers. Ball reported 2005 sales of $5.7 billion and the company employs 13,100 people worldwide. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," and variations of same 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 in Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K. These filings are available at our Web site and at http://www.sec.gov/. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in consumer and customer 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; fruit, vegetable and fishing yields; industry productive capacity and competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including those associated with our beverage can end project; the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries; and the effect of LIFO accounting. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental and workplace safety; 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; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects. DATASOURCE: Ball Corporation CONTACT: Investors, Ann T. Scott, +1-303-460-3537, , or Media, Scott McCarty, +1-303-460-2103, , both of Ball Corporation Web site: http://www.ball.com/

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