Aluminum Packaging Manufacturer Announces $200 Million Expansion in Georgia

Aluminum packaging maker Ball Corp. recently announced plans to invest more than $200 million in a new aluminum cup manufacturing facility in western Georgia.

The Colorado-based company, which produces metal beverage and aerosol packaging as well as aerospace components, currently manufactures aluminum cans in Rome, about 60 miles northwest of Atlanta. The expansion, which will build a facility adjacent to the current plant, is expected to create 180 new jobs at the site.

Ball officials said the aluminum cups will help meet the growing demand for more sustainable beverage packaging.

"We’re increasingly hearing from customers and consumers that they want to do the right thing for the environment, and they need more options,” company President and CEO John Hayes said in a statement from Georgia economic development officials.

The company expects the new plant to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2020.