Ball opens US$116 million aluminum can plant in Spain

28 Sep 2018 --- Ball Corporation, one of the world’s leading beverage can makers, has inaugurated a new production plant in Spain located in Cabanillas del Campo, Guadalajara, near Madrid. With this new factory, which represents for Ball a significant investment of more than 100 million euros (US$116 million), the company expands its presence in Spain, where it already has another production facility located in La Selva del Camp, Tarragona. The plant’s capacity is contracted to existing Ball customers.

With two production lines and an annual capacity 1.6 billion units, the plant will produce aluminum specialty cans. Cabanillas is a state-of-the-art, sustainable beverage can manufacturing facility, which uses 15 percent less energy and 22 percent less water compared to an average plant. It produces STARcan, Ball’s most metal-efficient can, a next-generation can which leverages the company’s technology and weight-optimization know-how.

Commenting on the plant, Daniel W. Fisher, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Global Beverage Packaging, says, “We aim to build strong, durable relationships with our customers. Our investment in this state-of-the-art facility in Cabanillas demonstrates our goal to support customers in Spain and in Southern Europe with their growth ambitions. In addition, the plant illustrates our commitment to sustainable operations, and our vision of making the can the most sustainable package. Ball is proud to have built this plant in Spain, and we welcome Cabanillas to our worldwide network.”

Colin Gillis, President, Ball Beverage Packaging Europe adds, “Throughout the construction process and the training of the plant’s new employees, the Spanish team has drawn on the experience of their Ball colleagues at other plants and offices across Europe. This close cooperation has resulted in the construction of a world-class beverage can manufacturing facility that will deliver quality, speed and increased environmental efficiency, while maintaining focus on the safety of operations at all times.”

Located 50 kilometers northeast of Madrid, the Cabanillas plant demonstrates Ball's commitment to supporting its customers in Spain and Southern Europe. With a consumption of 7,500 million cans a year, Spain is the second largest beverage can market in Europe.

Ball highlights the energy efficiency of the new plant but also of aluminum can packaging in general.

Sustainability at the Cabanillas plant: 

• Cabanillas uses 15 percent less energy (both in gas and electricity) compared to an average plant.
• Cabanillas produces 330ml and 500ml STARcans. STARcan, Ball’s most metal-efficient can, is a next-generation can which leverages our technology and weight-optimization know-how. 
• Cabanillas uses 100 percent renewable electricity supplied by Axpo Iberia.
• Water consumption at Cabanillas is already 22 percent less than an average plant. Ball aims to lower water consumption even more by piloting a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system, an innovative water system which recovers treated water so that the washers can reuse it continuously, reducing water usage by as much as 90 percent.

Sustainability of the beverage can:

• Metal (aluminum and steel) recycles forever, not just a few times.
• Cans are recycled over and over with no loss of quality, irrespective of colour or design.
• Cans are easy to sort and recycle, using infrastructure that is already in existence.
• 75 percent of all the aluminium ever produced is still in use today.
• With a recycling rate of 69 percent globally, the beverage can is the world’s most recycled beverage container. 
• In Europe the recycling rate for beverage cans is 75 percent.
• In Spain the recycling rate for all metal packaging is 87 percent.