10.11.2010

Succes Story: Change color like a chameleon

Ball further enhances thermochromic ink technology

The new beverage cans from Ball Packaging Europe change color like a chameleon—shifting, say, from blue to purple or yellow to green with a change in temperature. Previously, the color could only be made to change from white to blue. By enhancing the thermochromic ink technology, Ball has opened up new opportunities for customers to design cans with striking color effects.

For the first time, Ball has made thermochromic ink not only change color from white to blue, but from any color to any other. The secret of thermochromic ink is held in special microcapsules. The color change is triggered when the can reaches a specific temperature. This means consumers can see when a can is still warm and when it attains the right drinking temperature. The trigger temperature can be varied. Depending on its composition, the ink changes color at four, seven, nine or eleven degrees Celsius, so customers can set the color change signal to the ideal drinking temperature for their product. This gives them new marketing opportunities, with playful features like thermochromism in strong demand especially for dynamic markets like the energy drink sector where visual impact is important. The newly developed temperature-sensitive inks can be used for both steel and aluminum cans and are best suited for pastel tones.

Cool or cheeky
Ball first launched thermochromic ink technology in 2005 when it succeeded for the first time in printing temperature-sensitive elements on beverage cans—at first restricted to the colors white and blue. This technology has since been taken up by increasing numbers of beverage producers wanting to provide enhanced convenience for consumers while highlighting the high quality of their brands. UK brewer Molson Coors, for example, uses the technology specifically in support of a marketing strategy built around the crisp refreshing taste of its premium beers. The brewery brought out Coors Light beer brand in thermochromic cans this February. British soft drinks producer Britvic, on the other hand, uses cheeky straplines that are revealed when missing words become visible as a can cools.

Ball plans further enhancements to the ink technology. The next step is to make the starting color change to different hues on one and the same can. Cans will then take on different colors stage by stage as they change temperature.

Thermochromic printing on beverage cans provides an added benefit for consumers, further supplementing the unique advantages of cans as the container of choice. Cans are absolutely light-tight and oxygen-tight, ensure a fresh taste experience at all times and have a long shelf life. They also retain their good environmental performance: Beverage cans can be recycled infinitely without any loss in quality.

Printable photo material relating to this press release can be found in our photo data bank (www.ball-europe.com) under Press/Image database. Please input the photo number 1-00384 in the full text search.

Caption:
The new beverage cans from Ball Packaging Europe change color like a chameleon—shifting, for instance, from red to blue or blue to green with a change in temperature.

Ball Packaging Europe
Ball Packaging Europe is one of the leading European beverage can manufacturers, employing 2,600 people at 12 sites in Germany, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Poland and Serbia. The company belongs to Ball Corporation, a supplier of high-quality metal packaging for beverage, food and household products, and of aerospace and other technologies and services, primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation employs more than 14,500 people worldwide and reported 2010 sales of approx. 7.6 billion US dollars.

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; 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 or tax rates. 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 recession 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 climate change, or 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.