Ball Corp plans for Oregon facility to start up in 2026

As AMU previously reported, the Millersburg site will add a production facility to Ball’s Pacific Northwest portfolio, just over a year after the company shuttered its can manufacturing plant in Kent, Washington, a few hours north of Millersburg. While domestic demand for aluminum cans remains strong, new builds and legacy assets have largely been clustered in the South, the Midwest, and the eastern seaboard.

Daniel Fisher, chairman and CEO, said the plant will mean about 1.5 billion units of added volume in 2027, “which could be as much as 3%.”

“And that’s going to be unlocked from really a very tight portfolio in the western half of the US, in Texas, in Mexico, in the Southwest,” Fisher said during the company’s third quarter earnings call.

The numbers

Beverage packaging for its North and Central America segment saw comparable operating earnings for Q3 2025 of $210 million on sales of $1.64 billion, compared with $203 million on sales of $1.46 billion during the same period in 2024.

Third quarter segment comparable operating earnings increased year-over-year due primarily to higher volume, partially offset by price/mix. Year-over-year third quarter segment volume increased mid-single digit percent, the company said.

“We continue to see strength in terms of volume growth, and we’ll be able to navigate a more efficient future as our Millersburg, Oregon facility comes online in the second half of next year,” Fisher told analysts.

Profit per can since 2019 in Ball’s North America business has grown 32%, Fisher added.

The company now expects its North American segment to surpass the upper end of its long-term 1%-to-3% volume growth range in 2025, with total global volume growth projected to stay above the 2%-to-3% range.

Overall, Ball reported net quarterly earnings of $321 million on sales of $3.38 billion, compared to $197 million in the prior year period on sales of $3.08 billion.

Tariffs

As for import taxes, Ball described the direct impact from recently announced tariffs as manageable and said it is working with customers to offset volatility in aluminum premium prices. the company’s strategy focuses on local sourcing and manufacturing to limit exposure to international trade restrictions.

Fisher said the company is currently passing through about a 25% to 30% price increase to customers, and that its’ impact is “negligible in terms of per can price.”

He added that Ball’s recent acquisition of Florida Can Manufacturing in Winter Haven, Florida, has helped the company navigate supply chain challenges related to tariffs.