Getting (the) Ball rolling in Lublin

The history of the company began 140 years ago when five brothers started making cans with wooden casings containing paint and kerosene. The first successes came quickly, because 4 years after the end of the company’s first serial production, the company became widely known. Interestingly, the recognition of the company was not owed to the cans, but to jars for household preserves. And so Ball extended the range of products manufactured from year to year. It is also worth mentioning that Ball operates not only on the ground, but also in space, thanks to the Ball Aerospace department, which manufactures spaceships and satellite equipment. And probably, right at the beginning, nobody expected that the company, which starts with a joint venture of 5 brothers, would employ almost 20 thousand people all over the world. Amazing story, isn’t it?

In 2002, Ball began operations in Europe with the opening of its factory in Germany. After only a few years of presence on the old continent, the American investor pointed to Poland as a good place for further growth. And although more than 13 years ago – before the construction of the Lublin plant began – nobody would have believed that PLN 500 million would be invested in Vetterów Street, today the production complex is located there on 10 hectares of land. Construction of the plant began in 2008 and was completed really quickly. However, due to the economic crisis the investor changed its investment plans and did not put the new plant into operation. In the meantime, after 6 years, Ball Packaging Europe returned to the subzone to pursue its vision of manufacturing can lids in an innovative factory in the Lublin region. This was done with the support of the Mayor of the City of Lublin and Investor Relations Office of Lublin City Hall, which supported the investment process. As you can see, the path of the company required commitment, but the most important thing is the effect – the presence of the manufacturer at Lublin Subzone.

“Looking back in time, we see how important it is to build good relations between the City Hall and investors. Lublin is open to new investors and investments, and we try to help new companies and support them in their investment process. Thanks to Ball’s trust, the manufacturer is present in Lublin again. Thanks to the favourable investment climate it is possible to make investments and attract new investors to the city”. Łukasz Goś, Head of Investor Relations Office.

Ball was finally present in Lublin Subzone in 2015 with 63 people onboard. The first employees spent three months in the company’s factories in the United States, Great Britain and Germany to learn the manufacturing process in advanced factories. Today, the Lublin branch of the company has grown considerably and 200 employees jointly manufacture can lids that reach consumers throughout Europe and Russia. The quality of the intellectual capital available both in Lublin and the Lublin region contributed to the success of the Lublin branch. Lublin is also a great location that provides access to the European and Russian markets. Not without importance for Ball’s Lublin branch is also the support of the City of Lublin, thanks to which the American investor was able to reinvest and expand the activity of its plant.

The Lublin branch is appreciated by the company’s headquarters and the Management Board. The City of Lublin and its economic ecosystem are conducive to the development of the Company and to increasing its effectiveness. No wonder that in Lublin one of the largest plants of the concern in Europe was built. High sales results, one of the lowest turnover rates in the industry, a modern production plant and, above all, specialized personnel are characteristic of the Lublin branch of Ball Packaging Europe.

The latest reinvestment of the company is the installation of a new production line. The planned investment outlays will amount to over PLN 130 million. The investment activity started at the beginning of 2020 and should be completed by the end of March 2021. The project will increase the production capacity by another 2.8 billion beverage can lids and increase employment to 238 people.

“I am very glad that 6 years ago we decided to start our investment in Lublin. Together with local experts, we have created an extremely resilient factory that will be able to implement the adopted production plans while maintaining high product quality. The city of Lublin is definitely instrumental to the development of the company, which is why Ball Packaging Europe has been successively investing in the Lublin plant for years”. Robert Granosik, Director of the Ball Packaging Europe plant in Lublin.

Undoubtedly, this is not the last word from Ball in Lublin. In the future the company will certainly surprise us with further successes and investments in the city.