For more than 125 years, Ball has been a leader in food and beverage package manufacturing. Using aluminum, steel, polypropylene, high-density polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Ball’s packaging provides an economical way to protect products, allow sufficient shelf life, communicate product information and safely transport and store products in a variety of environments. All are lightweight, recyclable and use recycled content as much as technically and economically feasible. As a result, Ball’s packaging products are well positioned as the focus on sustainability increases.

Some of Ball’s most exciting packaging innovations include:

Alumi-Tek reclosable aluminum bottle: Launched last summer for Caribou Coffee’s ready-to-drink iced coffee products, this aluminum bottle is ideal for a variety of beverages, including alcoholic beverages, juices, teas, energy drinks and dairy-based beverages. It features a 38-millimeter roll-on pilfer-proof (ROPP) screw cap closure, adding reclosability to all the benefits of the standard aluminum can.

Eyeris enhanced beverage can printing: Eyeris, Ball’s proprietary enhanced printing technology, brings improved definition and fine detail to beverage can graphics, creating premium on-shelf differentiation. The process uses up to six colors, is available for any of Ball’s 18 beverage can sizes and is compatible with all filling processes, including retort. Jones Soda brought this innovation to market in Sept. 2007.

Aergo steel aerosol can shaping: Ball’s new, proprietary tinplate-shaped aerosol package allows up to a 30% expansion beyond the straight-walled diameter, creating a world of custom possibilities. Aergo launched last summer with PAM High Heat cooking spray from ConAgra.

Gamma-Clear oriented polypropylene food jars: Ball’s patented Gamma-Clear technology provides the clarity and consumer benefits of glass in a lightweight, shatterproof container that can be filled at temperatures up to 205º F.

PET bottles for wine: Ball provides 187-milliliter and 750ml PET bottles for wine. Its premium, glass-look bottles are lightweight and unbreakable. The bottles feature KHS Plasmax, a commercially proven, transparent, internal silicon oxide barrier coating that protects the wine inside the bottle and is easily removed during the PET recycling process. Ball is the only PET bottle manufacturer to offer Plasmax barrier coating technology in North America.

SmoothPour vented beverage can ends: This modified aluminum beverage can end features a large opening and a vent tube which directs airflow into the can to deliver a smoother pour and improved drinking experience. Coors introduced the can end in April.

Fusion-Tek steel microwavable food can: This can provides consumers the ease of a microwave-safe container along with the durability and strength of traditional food cans, which do not heat in the microwave because microwave energy cannot pass through steel. Ball has developed a proprietary technology to join metal and plastic, making it possible to manufacture a steel food can with a plastic end. The end creates a channel for microwave energy to pass through the can, heating the product inside quickly and evenly.  F&BP

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