Ball Corporation to close Illinois site

Ball Corporation is to close a food and aerosol packaging manufacturing facility with the loss of 245 jobs by the end of the year.

The Elgin, Illinois plant which is 481,000 square feet, opened in 1967 and produces aerosol and specialty steel cans as well as flat steel sheet used by other food and household products packaging facilities.

Ball said the action will result in an after-tax charge of $21m and customers will be supplied from other facilities when the closure is effective in December.

"Closing Elgin reduces capacity and, coupled with other changes within our manufacturing system, will enable us to maximize value in our existing business by supplying customers from a consolidated asset base and redistributing some manufacturing operations within our system," said Michael W. Feldser, chief operating officer of the global metal food and household products packaging business.