29.07.2009

Ball Packaging Europe recognized by Coca-Cola Enterprises as Supplier of the Year

London, 29 July 2009. Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has honoured the beverage can producer Ball Packaging Europe as “Supplier of the Year”. CCE’s European Supplier Award programme was set up to recognise those in the CCE value chain who contributed most to the success of the business. At a celebratory dinner in London on 28th July, CCE European President, Hubert Patricot handed the award to Ball Packaging Europe, which in 2008 supplied CCE with 2.3 billion cans in Europe.

Stephen Moorhouse, General Manager of CCE’s European Supply Chain commented:  “We have a rigorous and ground-breaking methodology for monitoring success amongst our suppliers and helping us develop long-term relationships. This process is driven by our European Procurement function and this team have graded and monitored the performance of all strategic suppliers. Ball Packaging Europe was outstanding in meeting the flexibility capacity requirements that we had last year and also in delivering a project to light-weight our cans – an important step in CCE’s sustainability journey. 2008 was an excellent year for our business in Europe and we partly owe this success to the effective relationships that we have built with suppliers such as Ball Packaging Europe.”

Rob Miles, Vice President Sales & Marketing at Ball Packaging Europe said at the Supplier of the Year Award dinner:

“We are delighted to be recognized by CCE in this way. We are proud of the excellent relationship that we have built with them over recent years and regard this award as an acknowledgement of our commitment to customer satisfaction. It is Ball’s strategy to focus all our efforts on creating satisfied customers and to supplying CCE with high-quality, innovative, sustainable beverage cans exactly where and when they are needed. ”

Ball Packaging Europe
Ball Packaging Europe is one of the leading beverage can makers in Europe with 2,900 employees and 13 production sites in Germany, France, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Poland and Serbia. The company is a subsidiary of Ball Corporation, which produces high quality metal and plastic packaging for the beverage, food and household goods industries.  In addition Ball Corporation supplies aerospace technology as well as other technologies and services predominantly to the US-American government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries worldwide employ more than 14,000 staff and reported turnover of some 7.6 million US dollar in 2008.

About the Awards
2008 was the first year in which CCE has launched an award scheme related to their Supplier Relationship Management Programme and these awards have been derived from a rigorous score-carding process.
Each CCE supplier is measured against fifteen key criteria in four key areas (quality, service, value and corporate responsibility and sustainability). Suppliers are then reviewed by the CCE Procurement team to ensure that the value being delivered to CCE is closely aligned with the business’s broader corporate priorities.
The score-card process was used to define the 2008 Award winners and is being used in 2009 to develop and manage ongoing relationships with CCE’s key suppliers.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including our beverage can end project; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the current global credit squeeze and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

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