Ball Corp. plans $200M expansion in Floyd County, creating 180

Sep 21, 2023

Ball Corp. (NYSE: BLL) plans a $220 million expansion of its aluminum packing manufacturing plant in Rome, creating more than 180 new jobs.

The aluminum cup manufacturing plant will be located adjacent to Ball Corp.'s existing manufacturing plant in Rome. It's expected to begin operations in fourth quarter 2020.

The company and Gov. Brian Kemp announced the expansion Wednesday.

"As the Top State for Business six years in a row, Georgia's manufacturing industry has seen unprecedented growth in recent years and this expansion is indicative of that unrivaled success," Kemp said in the announcement.

The new Ball plant will serve the growing demand for sustainable beverage packaging in the U.S. market.

"We're increasingly hearing from customers and consumers that they want to do the right thing for the environment, and they need more options," John A. Hayes, chairman, president, and CEO of Ball Corp., said in the announcement. "This product launch is aligned with our Drive for 10 strategy and is another step in innovating to serve unmet needs."

Ball plans to hire approximately 145 new employees for the cups facility to support the multi-year investment of approximately $200 million, it said in a separate announcement. Atlanta-based KBD Group Inc. is serving as general contractor on the project.

On Oct. 15, Ball Corp. and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment LLC (KSE) announced that Ball's recyclable aluminum cup will soon be available to visitors at KSE's Pepsi Center in Denver. The Pepsi Center will be the first major professional sports arena to introduce the aluminum cups at full scale. They will debut during the Denver Nuggets' NBA home opener against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 25.

Ball designed the lightweight aluminum cups in response to growing consumer preference for more sustainable products. KSE's Pepsi Center is also home to the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL and the Colorado Mammoth of the NLL, expanding the aluminum cups offering to professional basketball, hockey and lacrosse fans, as well as concertgoers.

Founded in 1880, Boulder, Colo.-based Ball Corp. employs more than 17,500 people worldwide and has annual sales of $11.6 billion.

Ball supplies aluminum packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government.