The plant, located in Hangzhou, 120 miles southwest of Shanghai, have an initial annual production capacity of approximately 600 million 2-piece, 33cl aluminium cans, said the company.
The facility will be sized to accommodate multiple lines, with capabilities to make other can sizes incorporated in the design. Production is expected to start in the second quarter of 2011.
"Demand for two-piece beverage cans is growing in China and we expect that more customers will decide to make the transition from three-piece to two-piece beverage cans to lower their costs and enhance the quality of their beverage packaging," said Jozef Salaerts, President of Crown's Asia-Pacific Division. "China is an important market for us and we are pleased to expand our capacity with a fifth plant to meet our customers' increased demand."