Ball Corporation to stop food can production at its Arkansas plant

Ball Corporation has announced today that it will cease food can production at its Springdale, Arkansas site due to a reduction in demand.

Production will terminate in the fourth quarter of 2017, but the plant will continue to produce and assemble aerosol cans, cut and coat flat sheet steel, and produce components used by other Ball food and aerosol facilities.

The site’s affected employees will be provided benefits in accordance with company policies.

This is the latest structural change announced by Ball. Last month, the company said it will close its plants in: Birmingham, Alabama; Chatsworth, California; and Longview, Texas.

In March it announced it would cease production at its facility in Recklinghausen, western Germany, with its workload now shared between other site across Europe.

Ball Corporation chief operating officer Jim Peterson said: “Given the overall decline in food can demand, our Springdale food can operations are no longer sustainable and we are electing to focus our remaining local plant resources on our growing aerosol business.

“We will continue maximising value in our food business and accelerating profitable growth in our global aerosol business.”

Ball still plans to construct a beverage packaging facility in Goodyear, Arizona, which is expected to begin production in the second quarter of 2018.