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Ball

bll · NYSE Consumer Cyclical
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Ticker bll
Exchange NYSE
Sector Consumer Cyclical
Industry Packaging & Containers
Employees 10,000+
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FY2018 Annual Report · Ball
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Ball Corporation

ANNUAL REPORT

DEAR FELLOWBALL CORPORATIONsupplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products, and aerospace and other technologies and services to commercial and governmental customers. Founded in 1880, the company employs 17,500 people worldwide. Ball Corporation stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BLL.Please visit Ball’s Investor Center at www.ball.com/investors to view the 2018 online annual report. Where you see this information icon in our report, you can find additional information on that topic at www.ball.com. SHAREHOLDERS2018 was another strong year for Ball Corporation from a financial, strategic and operational perspective. For the year, we generated $242 million EVA® (economic value added) dollars and were able to return approximately $850 million to our shareholders – well above our original expectations dating back to 2016. We executed on our plans  with comparable net earnings of $775 million, or $2.20 per diluted share, compared to $728 million, or $2.04 per diluted share in 2017. We also delivered strong free cash flow of $750 million after capital expenditures in excess of $800 million. These capital projects are EVA-generating growth projects that will fuel our strong position in future years.More importantly, we made a number of strides strategically and operationally to position our company for long-term, sustainable success, and  we have made significant progress on our multi-year program to transform our business and fully leverage the numerous opportunities in front of us. In 2018, we announced and completed the sale of our U.S. steel food and aerosol business into a newly formed joint venture, Ball Metalpack, where we realized approximately $600 million in proceeds while retaining a 49 percent interest in the business. We announced the sale of our underperforming China beverage can business for approximately $225 million in total transaction consideration including cash, plus potential additional consideration related to the relocation of an existing facility in China over the next several years, which the company currently expects to be in the range of $50 million to $75 million.  JOHN A. HAYES BALL CORPORATIONChairman, President& Chief Executive OfficerWe grew our aerospace contracted backlog more than 25 percent to $2.2 billion and are well positioned to continue to become the mission partner for our key customers. And we made significant progress in the integration of the Rexam PLC acquisition and transformation of our global beverage can business.When we completed the acquisition of Rexam PLC  in mid-2016, we established key goals to realize more than $300 million in net synergies; generate more than $2 billion in comparable EBITDA and in excess of $1 billion in free cash flow by the end of 2019; and to fundamentally reposition the aluminum beverage can as the most sustainable package in the beverage world. As we enter the final year of the post-acquisition period, we have made meaningful progress toward achieving these goals. Moreover, we have a “once in a generation” opportunity to leverage society’s growing recognition that our world is drowning in plastic. With plastic seldom recycled versus our highly recycled aluminum packaging products, beverage cans and aerosol containers are an immediate sustainable alternative due to their intrinsic recycling attributes from both an environmental as well as economic perspective.Our world has shifted and consumers, retailers and our customers are increasingly focused on sustainability. Genuine and transparent sustainability initiatives are the new norm, and for Ball this forms the foundation of our growth opportunity. Infinitelyrecyclable and economically valuable, our aluminum beverage and aerosol containers unlock the full potential of packaging to convey values and purpose along with a favorite beverage or personal care product. We are actively engaging our customers, our supply chain and other critical stakeholders to deliver metal packaging as a proactive and trusted solution to the plastic pollution crisis.We’re challenging ourselves to think bigger and push forward on initiatives that enhance the sustainability is a mindset around perfection, with a greater sense of urgency around our future success. Drive for 10 has three major areas of focus: DRIVE FOR 10WHO WE AREWE KNOW...WHERE WE ARE GOINGWHAT IS IMPORTANT012018 ANNUAL REPORTCOMMITMENT TO DECARBONIZATION
In mid-2018, we set a bold greenhouse gas emission reduction target  

to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 27 percent by 2030,  

compared to a 2017 baseline. We also strive to reduce GHG emissions  

across the value chain – from mining, refining, smelting, casting and  

rolling, to our manufacturing, logistics and end-of-life recycling –   

credentials of our products and in our operations 
around the world. In August, we launched our 
biennial sustainability report and announced a bold, 
science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction 
target – to reduce our emissions by 27 percent by 
2030 compared to a 2017 baseline. And this is just 
the beginning.

Our people, who are at the heart of everything we 
do, are passionate and energized advocates for 
our products, and they are ready to deliver on the 
opportunity we have in front of us. We continue to 
invest in our people, as our most important asset, 
to provide them with opportunities to grow and 
develop and to be active in the community. In 2018, 
we launched our global plant recycling challenge. 
Through friendly competition among our plants, we 
engaged in can recycling and education programs 
around the world. We also expanded our partnership 
with the International Federation of the Red Cross 
and Red Crescent societies as part of our global 
commitment to deliver relief to people impacted by 
disasters. The Ball Foundation, Ball Corporation and 
its employees supported non-profits in our  
focus areas of recycling, disaster relief, science, 
technology, engineering and math education and  

food security, including more than $4 million in  
charitable donations in communities where the  
company operates and 37,000 volunteer hours. We   
were again recognized by the Human Rights Campaign 
Foundation as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ 
Equality and were recently named the number  
one employer for diversity and inclusion by  
Forbes magazine.

As we continue to evolve and lead sustainable 
growth for our company and our shareholders,  
we are empowered by our unwavering focus on our 
Drive for 10 vision and our disciplined approach to 
EVA as we successfully navigate a dynamic global 
landscape and capitalize on the many opportunities 
ahead for Ball Corporation.

Drive for 10 remains our guide as we stay true to  
who we are, where we are going and what is 
important, even with the dramatic changes going  
on in the world around us. Whether in our aerospace, 
aerosol or beverage container businesses, this vision 
keeps us centered and on track to achieve the goals 
we established in 2010 when we began our Drive for 
10 journey. With a shared focus on these five levers,
we will ensure that our future is as bright as our past:

Maximizing value in our existing businesses

Expanding into new products and capabilities

 Aligning ourselves with the right customers 
and markets

Broadening our geographic reach

 Leveraging our know-how and technological 
expertise to provide a competitive advantage

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BALL CORPORATION

by 25 percent by 2030. To do this, we will follow a three-pronged  

approach: increase efficiency by saving energy and materials;  

grow renewables through the purchase of renewable energy;  

and cut embedded carbon by working with partners to reduce  

upstream impacts. 

MAXIMIZING VALUE IN OUR EXISTING BUSINESSES

In 2018, we advanced our business transformation 
efforts by streamlining processes across our support 
functions and leveraging our global business  
services capabilities to optimize our general and 
administrative cost structure. We established a new  
global shared services hub in São José dos Campos, 
Brazil, enabling streamlined transactional processes  
and other business services for our South American 
operations, and expanding on the successes we 
experienced with our Westminster, Colorado;  
Queretaro, Mexico; and Belgrade, Serbia,  
service centers.

To align our global beverage plant network to  
maximize efficiencies while meeting growing  
market demand for specialty containers, we  
ceased production at five manufacturing facilities 
in the United States, Europe and Brazil. As previously 
indicated, we also announced an agreement to sell  
our metal beverage packaging facilities in China  
to a leading Chinese metal packaging company.  
That transaction, expected to close in the second 
half of 2019, allows each party to leverage its own 
geographic strengths, while allowing us to continue 
our disciplined EVA approach to capital allocation  
by freeing up capital that does not generate our  
required returns.

We also divested our U.S. steel food and aerosol 
packaging manufacturing assets and formed Ball 
Metalpack, a new joint venture with Platinum Equity, 
in which we own 49 percent. This allowed us to 
immediately return additional value to shareholders  
via share repurchases, reduce Ball’s leverage and  
grow EVA dollars. 

2018 ANNUAL REPORT

03

PARTNER IN DISCOVERY
NASA selected Ball Aerospace to design and develop a key instrument  

component for the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission.  

NASA’s future premier astrophysics observatory, WFIRST is designed to  

capture data that will allow astronomers to unlock the mysteries of the  

universe, answering high-priority scientific questions related to the evolution  

of the universe and the habitability of planets around other stars. 

Our aerospace business continued to win major new 
contracts in 2018, resulting in further investments 
in our facilities and our people. We completed the 
expansion of our Aerospace Manufacturing Center 
in Westminster, Colorado, during the year, and 
the additional manufacturing and test capabilities 
position us to successfully execute on the existing 
$2.2 billion in contracted backlog as well as pursue 
other opportunities for growth. Additionally, we  
hired approximately 900 new aerospace employees 
and expect to onboard at least 600 more in 2019.

EXPANDING INTO NEW PRODUCTS 
AND CAPABILITIES

As awareness about the plastic pollution crisis  
grows and consumers become more environmentally 
conscious, our customers are seeking sustainable 
alternatives to more environmentally challenged 
substrates like plastic, cartons and glass. The infinite
recyclability of aluminum beverage cans and bottles, 
and their high economic value in the recycling 
stream, make them a winning alternative. More 
and more customers are launching or shifting their 
beverage and personal care products to aluminum 
cans, and we are now seeing additional beverage 
categories – including still and sparkling waters, 
wine, coffee and other beverages – making the 
move to cans. As markets and consumer preferences 
evolve to include more truly sustainable products, 
our customers are eager to keep up with these 
developments to grow their businesses. And we 
are beginning to see actions translate into volume 

growth: In our two largest regions (North and  
Central America and Europe), where the sustainability 
discussions are most advanced, volumes for the full 
year grew 2.6 percent. However, in the second half of 
the year, volume growth in these regions accelerated 
to more than 6.5 percent. We expect strong 
continued growth in 2019 and beyond.

On-shelf differentiation is another key factor driving 
our product innovation pipeline. In our beverage 
packaging business, we are helping customers put 
a colorful lid on their aluminum cans. Introduced in 
2018, our proprietary Cameo End Printing extends 
customer branding to the top of the can, making the 
top stand out and adding appeal as consumers look 
for their favorite beverages.

Our aerosol packaging business also continues to 
develop innovative products and techniques that 
provide eye-catching, sustainable solutions for our 
customers. Lighter weight, but just as strong as a 
standard aluminum aerosol can, our technologically 
advanced ReAl® aerosol containers remain a 
customer favorite as they expand into wider  
product portfolios around the world.

ALIGNING OURSELVES WITH THE  
RIGHT CUSTOMERS AND MARKETS

Staying close to our customers and helping to  
enable their growth is vital to our long-term success. 
To support our customers’ progress, we must be  
true partners with them to anticipate their needs  
and cooperatively develop opportunities for growth.

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BALL CORPORATION

In 2018, we started up new state-of-the-art facilities 
in Cabanillas del Campo, Spain, and Goodyear, 
Arizona, as well as a new facility in our joint venture 
in Panama. These facilities will help serve growing 
customer demand for specialty cans and enable 
profitable growth for Ball and our customers in key 
regions of growth.

Our aerospace team also stays close to customers 
and provides innovative solutions to their 
requirements. In 2018, NASA selected a diverse  
team from Ball Aerospace to design and develop 
the Wide Field Instrument (WFI Opto-Mechanical 
Assembly for the WFIRST mission. Ball’s design uses 
heritage hardware to provide cost and schedule 
savings to the mission. Together, the team will 
help answer questions in the areas of dark energy, 
exoplanets and infrared astrophysics.

BROADENING OUR GEOGRAPHIC REACH

In the ever-changing global market, we continue 
to identify opportunities of increased demand and 
profitable growth for metal packaging products. To 
serve the growing beverage can markets in Paraguay, 
Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, we began construction 
on a new one-line beverage can and end plant in 
Asunción, Paraguay, in 2018. This, along with a 
project to add capacity to our existing Buenos Aires, 
Argentina, facility, will allow us to support customer 
demands for multiple can sizes in the region.

In our aerosol packaging business, we also are 
experiencing growing demand for aluminum  

aerosol products in various markets around the  
world. We continue to leverage our footprint in 
Europe, North America, South America and India 
to deliver innovative and sustainable aerosol 
technologies, such as ReAl, as well as differentiating 
printing techniques, to new product categories 
and markets. We now can support our global and 
multinational customers in a way that our regional 
competitors cannot.

LEVERAGING OUR KNOW-HOW  
AND TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERTISE 

When combining our 139 years of history and 
experience with the talents and expertise of  
our employees around the world, the products 
and unique solutions we provide are truly 
unparalleled. We use and share our know-how, 
standard processes and best practices across the 
organization to consistently deliver top-quality 
products and services to customers worldwide.

Today, we have more than 30 different beverage 
can sizes and shapes in our product portfolio that 
customers can utilize as consumer and retailer 
preferences evolve. In 2018, specialty cans made  
up approximately 40 percent of our global beverage 
packaging product mix, which is up from just  
30 percent in 2016.

In our aerosol business, we are leveraging the 
knowledge gained from our beverage team’s 
experience with our proprietary Eyeris® printing 
technique. What once was exclusive to our beverage 

2018 ANNUAL REPORT

05

SOLUTION TO PLASTIC POLLUTION
As the world becomes more environmentally focused around packaging,  

our customers are looking for more sustainable alternatives to plastic,  

cartons and glass. Our solution –  the infinitely recyclable aluminum  

beverage can – is increasingly becoming the preferred choice for   

customers who are launching or shifting their  beverage product mixes, 

including still and sparkling water, wine, coffee and more.  

can portfolio is now available to help differentiate 
aerosol products on the shelf as well.

As both a spacecraft and payload developer, our 
aerospace team has a unique understanding of 
instrument integration and experience delivering 
end-to-end systems. Our mission systems expertise 
translates into a proven ability to fulfill the most 
challenging customer requirements. Ball instruments, 
sensors and spacecraft also lead the industry in 
performance and value. Our advanced data services 
turn information into knowledge for the defense and 
intelligence community, and our tactical systems 
provide advanced technologies for all branches of 
the U.S. Armed Forces.

BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD

As we look forward to 2019, we have a clear line of 
sight to achieve our goals of $2 billion in comparable 
EBITDA and in excess of $1 billion in free cash flow, 
due to ongoing strong demand for environmentally 
favored aluminum packaging, our strong and  
growing aerospace backlog and our unwavering  
EVA approach to capital allocation.

Thanks to all of our employees and their dedication 
to helping Ball realize its Drive for 10 vision. We are 
proud of our 139-year history and we will continue  
to remain focused on achieving long-term success  
for Ball, our employees, our shareholders and all of 
our other stakeholders.

JOHN A. HAYES

Chairman, President  
& Chief Executive Officer

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BALL CORPORATION

 2018 FIVE-YEAR REVIEW OF SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA    2018  2017  2016  2015  2014 Net Sales $ 11,635  $ 10,983 $ 9,061 $ 7,997 $ 8,570Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) $ 935 $ 802 $ 463 $ 606 $ 839Total interest expense  (302 ) (288 ) (338 ) (260 ) (193 ) Earnings before taxes $ 633 $ 514 $ 125 $ 346 $ 646Net earnings attributable to Ball Corporation (a) $ 454 $ 374 $ 263 $ 281 $ 470Basic earnings per share (a) $ 1.32 $ 1.07 $ 0.83 $ 1.02 $ 1.70Weighted average common shares outstanding (000s) 344,796 350,269 316,542 274,600 277,016Diluted earnings per share (a) $ 1.29 $ 1.05 $ 0.81 $ 1.00 $ 1.65Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding (000s)  352,321 356,985 322,884 281,968 284,860Total assets $ 16,554 $ 17,169 $ 16,173 $ 9,697 $ 7,535Total interest bearing debt and capital lease obligations  6,729  6,971  7,532  5,051  3,133Cash dividends per share 0.400 0.365 0.26 0.26 0.26Total cash provided by operating activities (c) 1,566 1,478 193 1,037 1,060Non-GAAP Measures (b)Comparable operating earnings $ 1,290 $ 1,220 $ 976 $ 801 $ 920Comparable net earnings 775 728 563 490 553Diluted earnings per share (comparable basis) 2.20 2.04 1.74 1.74 1.94Free cash flow (c) 750 922 (413 ) 509 669EVA dollars (d) 242 240 199 181 191Total annual return to common shareholders (e) 22.7 % 1.8 % 4.0 % 7.5 % 33.1 %BALL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES($ in millions, except per share amounts)(a)  Includes business consolidation and other activities and other items affecting comparability between years. Additional details regarding the 2018, 2017 and 2016 items are available in Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements within Item 8 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K.(b)  Non-U.S. GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation and should not be considered superior to, or a substitute for, financial measures calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Further discussion of non-U.S. GAAP financial measures is available in Item 7 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K under Management Performance Measurements and Other Liquidity Measures.(c)  Amounts in 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the adoption of new accounting guidance that was effective January 1, 2018. See Notes 2 and 7 to the consolidated financial statements within Item 8 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details.(d) Net operating earnings after tax less a capital charge of 9% after-tax on average invested capital employed.(e)  Change in stock price plus dividends paid, assuming reinvestment of all dividends paid. Information for this calculation is included in the shareholder return performance chart in Item 5 of the Annual Report on Form 10-K.072018 ANNUAL REPORTROBERT W. ALSPAUGHDANIEL J. HEINRICHPEDRO HENRIQUE MARIANITHEODORE M. SOLSO*GEORGIA R. NELSONJOHN BRYANTMICHAEL J. CAVEJOHN A. HAYESCYNTHIA A. NIEKAMPCATHY D. ROSSSTUART A. TAYLOR IICOMMITTEESDIRECTORSRetired CEO of  KPMG International1,2Former Executive Vice President and CFO of  The Clorox Company1,3Chairman of the Board  of Banco BBM 2Former Chairman and CEO of Cummins Inc.3,4President and CEO  of PTI Resources, LLC3,4Retired Chairman and CEO of Kellogg Company1,4Retired Senior Vice President  of The Boeing Company1,2Chairman, President and CEO of Ball CorporationRetired Senior Vice President of PPG Industries, Inc.2,3Former Executive Vice President and CFO of FedEx Express1,4CEO of The Taylor  Group, LLC3,4CORPORATE & OPERATING MANAGEMENTGIHAN ATAPATTU  President, Beverage Packaging Asia PacificCHARLES E. BAKER  Vice President, General Counsel  and Corporate SecretaryNATE C. CAREY  Vice President and ControllerANTHONY BARNETT  President, Beverage Packaging  Africa, Middle East and AsiaDANIEL W. FISHER  Senior Vice President, Ball Corporation;  COO, Global Beverage Packaging COLIN J. GILLIS  President, Beverage Packaging EuropeJOHN A. HAYES  Chairman, President and CEOJEFFREY A. KNOBEL  Vice President and TreasurerCARLOS MEDEIROS  President, Beverage Packaging  North & Central AmericaSCOTT C. MORRISON  Senior Vice President and CFO LISA A. PAULEY  Senior Vice President, Human Resources  and AdministrationCARLOS PIRES  President, Beverage Packaging South AmericaKATHLEEN E. PITRE  Vice President, Communications  and Corporate Relations STANLEY PLATEK  Vice President and General Manager,  Aerosol PackagingDANIEL J. RABBITT  Vice President, Corporate Planning  and DevelopmentROBERT D. STRAIN  Senior Vice President, Ball Corporation;  President, Ball Aerospace 1 Audit 2 Finance 3 Human Resources  4 Nominating/Corporate Governance * Lead Independent Director 08BALL CORPORATIONQUARTERLY RESULTS, COMPANY INFORMATION  AND INVESTOR RELATIONSQuarterly financial information and company news are posted on www.ball.com/investors. For investor relations, call (303) 460-3537.PURCHASE PLANA dividend reinvestment and voluntary stock purchase plan for Ball Corporation shareholders permits purchase of the company’s common stock without payment of a brokerage commission. Participants in this plan may have cash dividends on their shares automatically reinvested and, if they choose, invest by making optional cash payments. Additional information on the plan is available by writing Computershare, Dividend  Reinvestment Service, P.O. Box 505000, Louisville, KY 40233-5000. The toll-free number is (800) 446-2617, and the website is www.computershare.com/investor. You can access your Ball Corporation common stock account information on the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through Computershare’s website. If you need assistance, please call Computershare at (800) 446-2617 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern time.ANNUAL MEETINGThe annual meeting of Ball Corporation shareholders will be held to tabulate the votes cast and to report the results of voting on the matters listed in the proxy statement sent to all shareholders. No other business and no presentations are planned. The meeting to  report voting results will be held on Wednesday,  April 24, 2019, at 7:30 a.m. Mountain time at Ball Corporation headquarters, 10 Longs Peak Drive,   in Broomfield, Colorado.ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-KThe Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2018 filed by the company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission is enclosed.CERTIFICATIONSThe company has filed with the New York Stock Exchange the chief executive officer’s annual certification regarding compliance with the NYSE’s corporate governance listing  standards. The company also has filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission all required certifications by its chief executive officer and its chief financial officer regarding the quality of the company’s public disclosures.TRANSFER AGENT AND REGISTRARComputershare P.O. Box 505000 Louisville, KY 40233-5000SUSTAINABILITYBall Corporation balances economic, environmental  and social aspects in its decision making and activities  to create value for its stakeholders and to contribute to  its Drive for 10 vision. Find out more about our sustainability strategy at www.ball.com/sustainability.EQUAL OPPORTUNITYBall Corporation is an equal opportunity employer.QUARTERLY STOCK PRICES AND DIVIDENDSQuarterly prices for the company’s common stock, as reported  on the composite tape, and quarterly dividends in 2018 and  2017 were: 2018 SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION2017 4th Quarter 3rd Quarter 2nd Quarter 1st Quarter High  $ 43.24 $ 43.06 $ 42.73 $ 38.68Low  $ 37.36 $ 38.79 $ 35.65 $ 36.00Dividends  per share $ 0.10 $ 0.10 $ 0.10 $ 0.0652018 4th Quarter 3rd Quarter 2nd Quarter 1st Quarter High  $ 50.98 $ 45.21 $ 41.61 $ 41.99Low  $ 42.24 $ 35.08 $ 34.71 $ 35.60Dividends  per share $ 0.10 $ 0.10 $ 0.10 $ 0.10This Summary Annual Report should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements andother information contained in Ball Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2018, which is being furnished with the company’s Proxy Statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Copyright© Ball Corporation 2019. Ball and  are trademarks of Ball Corporation Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. OfficeAmounts in the first and second quarters of 2017 have been adjusted to reflect a two-for-one stock split, which was effective May 16, 2017.2018 ANNUAL REPORT10 Longs Peak Drive Broomfield, CO 80021 USAwww.ball.com