Ball Corp. Closing Arkansas Plant

Ball Corp. announced that it will close its metal food can manufacturing plant in Blytheville, Ark., and consolidate its operations into the company's metal food can plant in Springdale, Ark. The consolidation is expected to occur by June.

Both of Ball's Arkansas plants produce three-piece welded food cans. Demand for such containers has declined as two-piece drawn-and-ironed steel cans have replaced three-piece welded cans. Ball is installing two-piece manufacturing capacity at a plant in Milwaukee and providing for additional size flexibility in its Findlay, Ohio, facility.

"Closing the Blytheville plant is necessary as we continue to balance our manufacturing capacity for the different types of metal food cans," said Brian Cardno, president of Ball's metal food container operations. "The Blytheville plant is our smallest, both in terms of number of employees and cans produced. In order for us to compete in a very competitive industry, we need to control costs, consolidate operations and eliminate excess capacity wherever possible."

The Blytheville plant produces 350 million cans annually on two manufacturing lines.