June 20: The beverage can plant in Germany damaged by a fire in April will be rebuilt. But Ball Packaging Europe (BPE) says that when its plant at Hassloch is recommissioned in the first quarter of 2007 it will have a reduced capacity of 1.3 billion steel cans a year.
The plant at Hassloch was almost completely destroyed on 1 April, losing Ball capacity of 2bn cans a year just prior to the introduction of a revised deposit system for drinks packaging in Germany, which was expected to boost demand, and the run up to the World Cup soccer championship. The plant, which was earlier hit by an explosion in 1998, will be demolished and the lines renewed at a cost of 90m euros (US$113m).
At one of BPE’s other plants in Germany, Hermsdorf in Saxony Anhalt, capacity will be doubled to about 1.4bn cans a year with a second line that will meet increasing demand for aluminium drinks cans in eastern Europe.
