US can maker to set up plant in southern Vietnam

US-based Ball Corp has entered into an agreement with its joint venture partner Thai Beverage Can Ltd, a 50 percent associated company owned by Berli Jucker Public Co Ltd, to build a beverage can manufacturing plant in Vietnam.

The plant will be located in the Tan Uyen District in Binh Duong Province. Ball will hold a 50 percent economic interest in the joint venture facility, which is expected to begin production in the first half of 2012.

The total value of the joint venture, including contributed equipment by Ball, is approximately $45 million. The plant will supply products to contracted customers in Vietnam as well as export beverage cans to adjacent countries, and can be expanded to meet growing demands.

“The growth of the middle class in Southeast Asia, and the preference of consumers there for beverage cans, continue to increase demand for our containers,” said Raymond J. Seabrook, executive vice president and chief operating officer, global packaging.

“The beverage can market in the region is projected to grow more than 15 percent annually over the next several years. This Vietnam plant fits our long-term strategy to grow our worldwide beverage can business to meet increasing demand from our customers,” he added

The plant with one assembly line will have an initial annual production capacity of 850 million cans and will primarily use equipment relocated from other Ball facilities.

Ball Corp 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 US government.

Ball and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2010 sales of more than $7.6 billion. – Tuoitre

Tags: Ball Corp, Ball Corp Vietnam, Thai Beverage Can

Posted by VBN on Mar 14 2011. Filed under Food & Beverage, Rubber & Plastic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry