BLL Ball Corp

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) announced today that it plans to build a beverage can manufacturing plant in India. The facility, which is expected to be located near Aurangabad in the state of Maharashtra, will be positioned strategically to supply the two-piece beverage can needs for the majority of existing and currently planned beverage can filling lines in India. Application procedures with the proper governmental agencies are in the process of being completed, and the first commercial cans are expected to be produced by mid-2009. "India is one of the largest potential beverage can markets in the world and we have long had an interest in doing business there," said R. David Hoover, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Our activities in India will be managed by our wholly owned subsidiary, Ball Packaging Europe." John A. Hayes, president, Ball Packaging Europe, said, "Many of our existing and potential customers are making significant investments in India, and we believe that now is the right time for us to invest there as well. Ball and its licensees have been exporting cans to India for several years to help develop the market and to serve customers as various beverage filling facilities have become operational." Hayes said the Ball plant will begin operation with one manufacturing line able to produce approximately 600 million cans annually. 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 2006 sales of $6.6 billion. 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; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; 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; pension changes; 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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