USA – Crown Holdings, a supplier of rigid packaging products has announced that it will build a new beverage can manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA to support the increased demand for beverage cans in North America.

The state-of-the-art plant will supply beverage cans to companies serving a variety of categories including sparkling water, energy drinks, carbonated soft drinks, teas, nutritional beverages, hard seltzers, craft beers and cocktails. 

Located in the Kentucky Transpark, the 327,000 square foot facility is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2021 and create 126 new jobs.

“Beverage can growth in North America is being driven by the growing proportion of new products being introduced in cans versus other packaging, as both customers and consumers recognize the inherent portability, durability and sustainability of the beverage can,” said Timothy J. Donahue, President and Chief Executive Officer.

“This new facility demonstrates Crown’s commitment to support its customers in meeting this growing demand. 

While presenting its full year results for the previous financial year, Donahue noted that the North American beverage can industry grew at its fastest pace in 2019 compared to the past 25 years.

The company has committed to continue to invest to meet accelerating global demand for beverage cans as evidenced by an expected increase in beverage can capacity in excess of 10% in 2019 and 2020.

To meet these increasing demand of beverage cans in North America, Crown Holdings has also installed a new aluminum beverage can line at its Weston, Ontario plant which began production in January last this year.

In November 2019 the company commenced operations at a new facility in Rio Verde, Brazil and is further adding a third line at its Nichols, New York facility which will commence operations during the second quarter of this year. .

Crown has also begun construction of a new beverage can plant in Nong Khae, Thailand which will begin production during the third quarter of 2020.

The company has also unveiled that its multi-year project to convert beverage can capacity in Spain from steel to aluminum now nears completion. Both lines in the Seville plant, which have multi-size capability, will be in commercial production early in the second quarter.

“This expansion was driven by a growing proportion of new beverage products being introduced in cans versus other packaging formats, which is expected to continue,” Donahue said in a statement accompanying the company’s 2019 full year results.

In August Last year, the Pennsylvania-headquartered company opened a new graphics studio at its Crown Beverage Packaging North America facility in Ambler, Pennsylvania.