BROOMFIELD, Colo., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Corporation
(NYSE: BLL) announced today that Colin
Gillis has been named president of Latapack-Ball Embalagens,
Ltda., Brazil, and Gihan Atapattu has been named president of Ball
Asia Pacific Ltd. (BAPL), Hong
Kong.
"Brazil and the Asia Pacific region are important growth
markets for our company, and naming Colin and Gihan to their new
roles strengthens our leadership teams in those beverage packaging
businesses," said Raymond J.
Seabrook, executive vice president and chief operating
officer, global packaging operations. "Ball has recently increased
its investment in our operations in those key markets and we
continue to leverage our company's technical knowledge, market
expertise and manufacturing platform to strategically grow our
global beverage can business."
Increased Investment in Growing Brazilian Beverage Can
Market
Ball entered the Brazilian market in 1995 through a metal
beverage packaging joint venture, Latapack-Ball Embalagens, Ltda.
The joint venture company operates metal beverage packaging
manufacturing plants in Tres Rios,
Jacarei and Salvador, Brazil.
Latapack-Ball is expected to have 2010 sales of approximately
$360 million.
In September, Ball announced that it had acquired an additional
10.1 percent economic interest in Latapack-Ball, increasing Ball's
overall ownership to approximately 60 percent.
Gillis, 56, joined Ball in 1973. He was plant manager of the
company's beverage can manufacturing plants in Whitby, Ontario; Wallkill, N.Y.; and Ball's joint venture plant
in Golden, Colo., before becoming
vice president, operations, of BAPL in 2007 and then BAPL president
in 2008.
"The Brazilian beverage can market has grown at an average
annual rate of more than 12.5 percent since 2006, and our
operations in Brazil have grown
with the market," Gillis said. "The Tres Rios plant, which started
production at the end of 2009, is adding a second production line
scheduled for start up in 2011 and we expect Brazil to continue to contribute to our
success."
Fast Growing Asia Pacific Market Offers Opportunities
The Asia Pacific market,
comprised of 14 countries including China, has long been part of Ball's packaging
strategy. Ball first entered the China market in 1985 with a beverage can plant
joint venture in Guangzhou. Today,
through its plants and joint ventures, Ball supplies about a third
of the 2-piece beverage cans consumed in China.
Earlier this year, Ball acquired Guangdong Jianlibao Group Co.
Ltd.'s 65 percent interest in a joint venture metal beverage can
and end plant in Sanshui, China.
Ball owned 35 percent of the joint venture plant since 1992. Ball
also entered into a long-term supply agreement with Jianlibao and
its affiliate, Foshan Sanshui Jianlibao Trading Co., Ltd.
Atapattu, 44, joins Ball from the SML Group, a global apparel,
branding and packaging company based in Hong Kong where he was chief executive
officer. His career includes leadership positions at Avery Dennison
and Arthur Andersen and extensive international business
experience.
"The Asia Pacific domestic
market and the middle class continue to grow," Atapattu said. "In
China alone, the beverage can
market is expected to grow to more than 15 billion cans in 2010, a
significant increase from approximately 13.4 billion cans estimated
for 2009. The beverage can is a highly sustainable, convenient
package that appeals to consumers here just as it does in other
parts of the world. We know this market well and are working with
our customers to ensure the beverage can's share of the overall
market continues to increase."
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
Copyright t. 4 PR Newswire