Crown To Expand Presence In China To Support Strong Market Growth

Crown Holdings, Inc., a leading supplier of metal packaging products worldwide, announced plans to continue to expand its footprint in China by building two new beverage can plants and adding a second line to a previously announced facility currently being constructed.

The new facilities will be located in Zhengzhou (Central China) and Changchun (Northeastern China). Each plant will have an initial annual production capacity of 720 million two-piece aluminum beverage cans. The Zhengzhou plant, which will serve Henan province and surrounding provinces such as Shandong, will produce 33cl cans. It is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2013. The Changchun plant will produce 33cl and 50cl cans and is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2013.

Crown is also adding a second line to its previously announced facility in Putian (Fujian Province). The new line, expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2013, will produce 33cl and slim 25cl aluminum beverage cans. This expansion will bring annual production capacity at the Putian facility up to 1.4 billion beverage cans when fully commercialized.

Once construction is complete, Crown will have ten beverage can plants strategically located across China. The company currently has operations in Beijing, Foshan, Huizhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai, and construction on plants in Putian, Heshan and Ziyang is underway.