Ball, the global beverage and food packaging provider, has announced that it is to purchase Metal Packaging International, a US manufacturer of aluminium ends for beverage cans.
MPI operates a single plant in Northglenn, Colorado, producing just over 2 billion beverage can ends a year, primarily for soft drink companies. The company had sales of approximately $42 million (€39m) in 2002.
Ball produces approximately 32 billion beverage cans and ends a year in North America. Ball said the MPI volumes would be consolidated into existing Ball end manufacturing operations and the Northglenn facility would be closed. Ball currently produces beverage can ends at five different locations throughout the US.
Ball purchased MPI from a private investor. The purchase price was not disclosed. The company expects after-tax returns from the acquired business to exceed its cost of capital.
Ball Corporation is currently one of the world's leading suppliers of metal and plastic packaging to the beverage and food industries. The company also owns Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. With the addition of Ball Packaging Europe, acquired in December 2002, Ball expects sales in 2003 of approximately $5.1 billion, $4.6 billion from its packaging segment and $500 million from its aerospace and technologies segment.