AB InBev Selling 4 Plants To Ball Corp.

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Anheuser-Busch InBev said Wednesday it will sell four U.S. packaging plants to Ball Corp. for $577 million to help pay off debt.

AB InBev has recently been selling businesses to repay the massive debt burden it built up last year to pay for the $52 billion takeover that formed it.

It said the plants make soft drinks cans and lids and would allow its remaining packaging business to focus on beer cans.

Chief executive Carlos Brito said the sale was "another step in our deleveraging program, allowing us to rationalize capital while retaining those facilities that remain most relevant to our beer business."

Ball has promised to offer employment to the 635 active employees of the plants in Fort Atkinson, Wis.; Columbus, Ohio; Rome, Ga., and Gainesville, Fla. The plants will continue to supply Anheuser-Busch with metal drink cans and lids.

AB InBev expects the deal to close at the end of the year or early in the first quarter of 2010.

Talkback! Manufacturing.net is pleased to provide you an opportunity to share your opinions on any of the news stories or articles on our site. We reserve the right to edit/remove comments.
Viewing 3 User Comments	Add a Comment
Here comes the big flush! 7/1/2009 1:24:00 PM Take you back to 1980 when large retail outlets wer being built designed and abandoned because of leveraging. Here's another instance of we got too far into debt and now we have to sell the company off piece by piece. Same old saw. That's why I stopped buying Budwiser Beer. It's no longer an American Beer or company. Greedy people can suffer the pangs of greed. he shame is where the working man and women have to suffer the loss of a good paying job and benefits. Go to work for a local brewery.
Take a deep breath 7/1/2009 2:43:00 PM It's not all bad news. Ball Corp is headquartered in Broomfield, Colo. they make billions of cans for all kinds of companies. It might be that the purchase will actually increase the number of jobs at the domestic production sites. The deal was just announced today, I’m sure the people at Ball are thrilled to have the extra work and the people that work at the plants that were sold still have a job. Debt reduction is a normal function of business
Taking the bigger breath... 7/2/2009 8:14:00 AM Except Ball had to close several plants this year in order to buy up these new plants...More work...Naaah.

Subscribe | About Us | Feedback