BLL Ball Corp

Ball Introduces Heat-Tek(TM) Line of Heat-Set PET Bottles BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) today announced it has expanded its line of Heat-Tek(TM) PET plastic bottles for hot-filled beverages, adding sizes from 8 oz. to 64 oz. to its product line. Ball is featuring its Heat-Tek(TM) PET bottles this week at the InterBev and Beverage Industry trade shows in Orlando and Tampa, Fla. "Consumer demand for healthier beverages and conversion from glass to PET continue to drive market growth," said Allan Benson, Ball's director, custom PET. "Our customers are moving in this direction and we will continue to provide them with high-quality packaging to help them succeed." Ball's Heat-Tek(TM) bottles are ideal for juices, teas, sports drinks, vitamin-enhanced water and other beverages that are filled at temperatures up to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. The 8, 10 and 12 oz. bottles offer a 38-millimeter finish and the 16, 20 and 64 oz. sizes have been designed with a 43-millimeter opening for a better pour. All of Ball's Heat-Tek(TM) bottles feature the company's patented Vac-u-Flex(TM) vacuum panel technology. "Vac-U-Flex(TM) enables us to produce bottles that can consistently run efficiently on our customers' filling lines and reach the end consumer with the highest possible quality," said Mike Vaughn, vice president, technology, for Ball's plastic container operations. All Heat-Tek(TM) bottles are available as a monolayer package and are recyclable. Sizes 20 oz. and below are also available as multi-layer bottles, using Ball's AMAZON HM(R) barrier technology for extended shelf life. To find out more about Ball's Heat-Tek(TM) line of hot-filled PET bottles, contact Benson at 303-460-5086. Ball Corporation is a supplier of high-quality metal and plastic packaging products and innovative packaging solutions to the beverage and food industries. The company also owns Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., which develops sensors, spacecraft, systems and components for government and commercial markets. Ball employs approximately 13,100 people worldwide and reported 2003 sales of $4.9 billion. Forward-Looking Statements The information in this news release contains "forward-looking" statements and other statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking 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 the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in Exhibit 99.2 in the most recent Form 10-K. These filings are available at the company's website and at http://www.sec.gov/. Factors that might affect the packaging segments of the company include fluctuation in consumer and customer demand; competitive packaging material availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; fruit, vegetable and fishing yields; industry productive capacity and competitive activity; lack of productivity improvement or production cost reductions; the German mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; availability and cost of raw materials, such as resin, steel and aluminum, and the ability to pass on to customers changes in these costs; changes in major customer contracts or the loss of a major customer; international business risks, such as foreign exchange rates and tax rates; and the effect of LIFO accounting on earnings. Factors that might affect the aerospace segment include: funding, authorization and availability of government contracts and the nature and continuation of those contracts; and technical uncertainty associated with segment contracts. Factors that could affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: successful and unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures and associated integration activities; regulatory action or laws including environmental and workplace safety; goodwill impairment; antitrust and other litigation; strikes; boycotts; increases in various employee benefits and labor costs; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; reduced cash flow; and interest rates affecting our debt. DATASOURCE: Ball Corporation CONTACT: Investors, Ann Scott, +1-303-460-3537, , or Media, Scott McCarty, +1-303-460-2103, , both of Ball Corporation Web site: http://www.ball.com/

Copyright