Internationalization requires aluminum can maker to provide cross-regional cooperation capability. For example, Ball Corporation’s 43 global production bases are spread across North America, Europe and Asia, servicing the localized production of Coca-Cola in more than 50 countries. It has reduced the delivery cycle from 21 days to 14 days (21 days is the industry average), and realizes cross-border tracking of raw materials through the blockchain traceability system (error rate 0.01%). In 2023, Ball accelerated Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Mexico factory production capacity by 40% (340 million cans per month), with a 98.7% on-time delivery rate, and helped the client gain a 5.3% market share in Latin America.
Sustainable production is already a global entry barrier. Ball’s Infinity series of aluminium cans are manufactured using 100% recycled aluminium, with 45% lower carbon emissions compared to traditional processes (SBTi certification), and have been certified to the ASI performance standard (only 12 worldwide). Its brewery in the UK uses hydrogen energy furnaces (where 85% is contributed by hydrogen) that reduce the carbon emission from 1.8 tons per ton of aluminium to 0.3 tons per ton, enabling Carlsberg to pass the EU carbon tariff review and save an annual compliance cost of €12 million. In circular economy, Ball collaborated with Terracycle to achieve a recycling level of 71.3% (worldwide average is 60%), making it possible for Nestle to obtain environmental label certification in the German market and enhancing the product premium rate by 12%.
The local production network reduces operational risks. Crown Holdings’ Southeast Asian plants in Thailand and Vietnam reduce customers’ logistics expenses by 17% (compared to Trans-Pacific shipping) and cut the preparation cycle for production from 30 days to 10 days via the regionalized supply chain (raw material sourcing radius ≤50 kilometers). In 2022, Red Bull achieved zero inventory supply to the Cambodian market by utilizing Crown’s Vietnamese base. The transportation time was shortened three times (from 15 days to 5 days), and its market share increased by 9.2%.
Technological innovation powers brand premium. Ball’s ReAl lightweight technology (9.8g for a 330ml can versus 13.2g in the industry) has helped Monster Energy save 0.002 of transport cost per can, with annual savings of 2.4 million yuan. Its patented laser marking system (with a precision of 0.05mm) provides Heineken Beer with a traceability code that is unique and reduces the counterfeit rate from 0.07% to 0.0003%. Furthermore, Smart Can technology coupled with NFC chips has enhanced Coca-Cola’s interactive marketing conversion rate in the Japanese market by 23% and the user repurchase rate by 18%.
Digital integration capabilities determine the market response speed. Ball’s MES system monitors global production lines in real time. Overall equipment efficiency (OEE) has been realized at 89% (72% is the industry average), and defect detection speed has been increased to 35ms per tank through AI quality inspection (200ms for manual operation). Its digital twin platform, developed with Microsoft, has reduced the new product development cycle from 90 to 45 days, which allowed PepsiCo to launch personalized cans (with 12 regional designs) in India. Its sales in the first month exceeded 120 million cans, and its market share grew by 8.5%.
Compliance guarantees access to global markets. Ball’s epoxy resin coating has been certified by FDA 21 CFR 175.300 (bisphenol A residue ≤0.001ppm), and is EU REACH regulation and Japanese Food Hygiene Law compliant. Its Brazilian factory was ANVISA certified, which helped Heineken avoid a $5.6 million fine in the Latin American market. Through achieving ISO 14001 and carbon Trust certificates, Ball helps customers reduce trade barrier costs on average by 28% (WTO figures in 2023).
The value of cooperation cases with global top brands has been verified: Coca-Cola has awarded 60% of its orders to Ball for 15 consecutive years since its response to customer complaints is ≤4 hours (24 hours in the industry) and new product sampling precision is ±0.05mm. Red Bull, relying on Crown’s global production capacity network, achieved 48-hour emergency replenishment in 30 countries, which drove a 14% year-on-year revenue increase. Choosing the top aluminum can maker can double the success rate of brand globalization by 2.3 times (McKinsey’s survey data in 2024).