Ball Corporation (US), the world's leading beverage can producer, said it would open a E75m plant in Serbia in a move that will create 300 new jobs. The plant, to be located in Belgrade, will initially produce over 600 million beverage cans per year.

Around 80% of its output will be marketed, mostly to Central and Eastern Europe. According to Serbian Minister of International Economic Relations Goran Pitic, this will be the first greenfield investment in the country this year, but also the first large US investment. "With Serbia as its centre, we will have a regional market of 60 to 70 million people," said Jan Driessens, the chairman of Ball's European unit.

The plant will employ 120 local staff in the first phase and the number will grow to 300. The Ball Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of metal and plastic packaging to the beverage and food industries with annual sales of 50 billion cans.

Ball has recently acquired Schmalbach Lubeca (D), Europe's second largest can producer with 12 manufacturing plants, forming Ball Packaging Europe.

(NewsBase 20.i.03)