Management's discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the
unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes
included in Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which include
additional information about our accounting policies, practices and the
transactions underlying our financial results. The preparation of our unaudited
condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in
OVERVIEW
Business Overview and Industry Trends
We sell our aluminum packaging products mainly to large, multinational beverage,
personal care and household products companies with which we have developed
long-term relationships. This is evidenced by our high customer retention and
our large number of long-term supply contracts. While we have a diversified
customer base, we sell a significant portion of our packaging products to major
companies and brands, as well as to numerous regional customers. The overall
global aluminum beverage and aerosol container industries are growing and are
expected to continue to grow in the medium to long term. The primary customers
for the products and services provided by our aerospace segment are
We purchase our raw materials from relatively few suppliers. We also have exposure to inflation, in particular the rising costs of raw materials, as well as other direct cost inputs. We mitigate our exposure to the changes in the costs of aluminum through the inclusion of provisions in contracts covering the majority of our volumes to pass through aluminum price changes, as well as through the use of derivative instruments. The pass-through provisions generally result in proportional increases or decreases in sales and costs with a greatly reduced impact, if any, on net earnings. Because of our customer and supplier concentration, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by the loss, insolvency or bankruptcy of a major customer or supplier or a change in a supply agreement with a major customer or supplier, although our contract provisions generally mitigate the risk of customer loss, and our long-term relationships represent a known, stable customer base.
The majority of the aerospace business involves work under contracts, generally
from one to five years in duration, as a prime contractor or subcontractor for
various
28 Table of Contents Corporate Strategy
Our Drive for 10 vision encompasses five strategic levers that are key to growing our business and achieving long-term success. Since launching Drive for 10 in 2011, we have made progress on each of the levers as follows:
Maximizing value in our existing businesses by improving efficiencies in our
beverage container and end facilities in
network to meet current demand; leveraging plant floor systems in our beverage
facilities to reduce costs and manage contractual provisions across our diverse
? customer base; successfully acquiring and integrating a large global aluminum
beverage business while also divesting underperforming steel food and steel
aerosol packaging assets in
facilities in
new extruded aluminum aerosol lines in our European, Mexican and Indian
facilities while also implementing cost-out and value-in initiatives across all
of our businesses;
Expanding further into new products and capabilities through commercializing
our new lightweight, infinitely recyclable aluminum cup and providing
? next-generation extruded aluminum aerosol packaging that utilizes proprietary
technology to significantly lightweight the can; and successfully introducing
new specialty beverage cans and aluminum bottle-shaping technology;
Aligning ourselves with the right customers and markets by investing capital to
meet continued growth for specialty beverage containers throughout our global
? network, which represent approximately 43 percent of our global beverage
packaging mix; aligning with spiked seltzer and craft brewers, sparkling and
still water fillers, wine producers and other new beverage producers who
continue to use aluminum beverage containers to grow their business;
Broadening our geographic reach with our acquisition of Rexam and our new
investments in beverage manufacturing facilities in
?
aerosol manufacturing facility in
aluminum cup manufacturing facility in the
Leveraging our technological expertise in packaging innovation, including the
introduction of our new proprietary, brandable lightweight aluminum cup and
providing next-generation aluminum bottle-shaping technologies and the
increased production of lightweight ReAl® containers, which utilize technology
? that increases the strength of aluminum used in the manufacturing process while
lightweighting the can by up to 20 percent over a standard aluminum aerosol
can, as well as our investment in cyber, data analytics methane monitoring, 5G
and LIDAR capabilities to further enhance our aerospace technical expertise
across a broader customer portfolio.
These ongoing business developments help us stay close to our customers while expanding and/or sustaining our industry positions and global reach with major beverage, personal care, household products and aerospace customers. In order to successfully execute our strategy and reach our goals, we realize the importance of excelling in the following areas: customer focus, operational excellence, innovation and business development, people and culture focus and sustainability.
RESULTS OF CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS
Management's discussion and analysis for our results of operations on a consolidated and segment basis include a quantification of factors that had a material impact. Other factors that did not have a material impact, but that are significant to understand the results, are qualitatively described.
29 Table of Contents
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has had a material effect upon the global
business environment in the first quarter of 2020. Countries across the globe
have issued stay-at-home orders and instructed non-essential businesses to
temporarily close. Ball provides key products and services to the consumer
beverage, household and aerospace markets and, consequently, the operations of
Ball and of its principal customers and suppliers have been designated as
essential across our key markets. This designation has allowed Ball to continue
to operate its manufacturing facilities without significant disruption
throughout the first quarter of 2020. For this reason, we do not believe that
Ball has been significantly impacted, in the first quarter of 2020 by COVID-19.
The risks that COVID-19 presents to Ball's business have been outlined in Item
1a. Risk Factors and Note 1 of these condensed consolidated financial
statements. During the second quarter of 2020, we do expect to see a temporary
decline in demand in our beverage packaging,
© Edgar Online, source