BROOMFIELD, Colo., Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Corporation [NYSE:BLL], the leading supplier of metal beverage cans and bottles in the world, today opened an expansion of the company's Graphics Center of Excellence (GCOE) in Westminster, Colo.

Ball's GCOE delivers high-quality can graphics, customer convenience and among the fastest pilot turnaround in the beverage metal packaging industry to Ball's local, national and global customers.

"As more global consumers make recyclable cans their package of choice, advanced graphics capabilities have become vital for brands seeking to stand out on retail shelves and capture sustainability-conscious consumers," said Jim Peterson, Ball's vice president, marketing and corporate affairs. "Beverage cans offer a 360-degree billboard for brands to reach consumers. Our expanded GCOE, along with smaller sister facilities in Europe and Asia, leverage the advantages of the can and provide industry-leading graphics that help build brands."

Ball's Colorado GCOE combines the company's extensive metal packaging experience, brand-building creativity and state-of-the-art technology to deliver inclusive one-stop design-to-printed-can service to customers. It features a pilot line for both graphic testing and color standards and offers a variety of printing capabilities, including:

• Eyeris™ Enhanced Graphics printing that brings improved definition and fine detail to beverage can graphics, creating premium, on-shelf differentiation.
• Dry offset printing, which uses a digital print head that prints top quality design with a resolution of 600dpi directly on to the can surface, lessening dry time of the can and improving graphics quality.
• High definition printing that brilliantly holds fine detail of a can's artwork, greatly improving consumer appeal.
• Matte printing that adds dimension and differentiates cans with a distinctive, premium look.
• Thermochromic inks that use temperature sensitive external inks to indicate to consumers when a beverage is at its optimal temperature to enjoy.

"Customers can fly to Colorado to approve their can standards, and if they require changes to the graphics -- and we prepared them -- we can make the changes and get back on press the same day," said Janelle Harris, director, North American graphic services for Ball. "Typically it would take 2-3 weeks for the changes and possibly another 4-6 weeks before the presses roll again. But with everything under one roof at Ball, ideas get to market faster."

Ball Corporation is a supplier of high quality packaging for beverage, food and household products customers, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2010 sales of more than $7.6 billion. For the latest Ball news and for other company information, please visit http://www.ball.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Corporation