(Photo: Ball Corporation’s new beverage can plant in Spain. Credit: Ball Corporation on Twitter)
Ball Corporation has invested more than 100 million euros ($115 million) in a new state-of-the-art beverage can plant in Spain. Located in Cabanillas del Campo, Guadalajara, the facility saves energy and water, according to the manufacturer.
The sustainable facility produces Ball’s aluminum STARcan, the company’s most metal-efficient. The plant uses 15% less energy and 22% less water compared to a typical plant, the company says. Two production lines have an annual capacity of 1.6 billion units.
“The plant illustrates our commitment to sustainable operations, and our vision of making the can the most sustainable package,” said Daniel W. Fisher, senior vice president and chief operating officer of global beverage packaging for Ball Corporation.
Spain is the second largest beverage can market in Europe, Ball Corporation notes, and the company previously opened a facility located in La Selva del Camp, a municipality in the province of Tarragona.
Located about 30 miles northeast of Madrid, the Cabanillas plant supports customers in Spain and Southern Europe, according to PackagingNews. The facility is one of two greenfield plants built last year that Ball Corporation highlights in its recently published 2018 sustainability report.
“In Spain, we paid special attention to the design of the compressed air systems: high- and low-pressure compressed air systems, fed by energy efficient compressors with filtration and air leader control systems will simultaneously reduce energy usage and maintenance costs,” the report says.
In addition, the plant has heat recovery, adaptive control systems for vacuum and compressed air, and plant-wide LED lighting. Ball Corporation says that ultra-efficient burners on all ovens save 16% of the natural gas compared to standard ovens so the company can manufacture the lightest 33-centiliter can body in their European system.
“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,” said Colin Gillis, president of Ball Beverage Packaging 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.”