₹50bn investment drives Ball and Crown’s aluminium can expansion in India

Ball Corporation and Crown Holdings are investing a combined INR 50 billion (USD 523 million) in two separate aluminium beverage can manufacturing projects in Uttar Pradesh.

Ball Beverage Packaging India, Ball Corporation's Indian subsidiary, has selected a site at the Integrated Manufacturing and Logistics Cluster (IMLC) in Meerut for a new aluminium beverage can plant. The proposed investment is INR 29 billion (USD 303 million). The project has also been granted incentives under Uttar Pradesh’s 2023 policy for investments by FDI/FCI, Fortune Global 500 and Fortune India 500 companies.

Meanwhile, Crown Holdings has started construction of its first greenfield aluminium beverage can factory at the IMLC in Unnao. The company is investing INR 21 billion (USD 220 million) in the project, which covers nearly 40 acres at Plot No. 4.

The Crown facility is expected to create more than 200 direct jobs and over 1,500 indirect jobs across logistics, warehousing, transport, maintenance, suppliers and related activities.

The two-line plant was first announced in April 2026 and is scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2027. Once fully operational, it is expected to produce around 2.2 billion aluminium beverage cans annually.

The plant will supply aluminium cans to the Indian market for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Crown has also lined up long-term customers, including United Breweries, part of Heineken.

Together, the two projects underline the growing investment in aluminium beverage can production in Uttar Pradesh, with Ball setting up its facility in Meerut and Crown developing a plant in Unnao.