1. Business Segment Information
Ball’s operations are organized and reviewed by management along its product lines and geographical areas and presented in the four reportable segments outlined below.
Beverage packaging, North and Central America: Consists of operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico that manufacture and sell aluminum beverage containers throughout those countries.
Beverage packaging, EMEA: Consists of operations in numerous countries throughout Europe, as well as Egypt and Turkey, that manufacture and sell aluminum beverage containers throughout those countries.
Beverage packaging, South America: Consists of operations in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile that manufacture and sell aluminum beverage containers throughout most of South America.
Aerospace: Consists of operations that manufacture and sell aerospace and other related products and provide services used in the defense, civil space and commercial space industries. In the third quarter of 2023, Ball entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (Agreement) with BAE Systems, Inc. (BAE) and, for the limited purposes set forth therein, BAE Systems plc, to sell all of the outstanding equity interests in Ball’s aerospace business to BAE for a purchase price of approximately $5.6 billion in cash, which sale, if consummated, would result in an estimated $4.5 billion in after-tax proceeds and an estimated pre-tax gain in excess of $4.5 billion. These estimates are subject to customary closing adjustments to the purchase price under the terms of the Agreement. The closing of the transaction is subject to the approvals, clearances, or waiting period expirations or terminations required under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, among other regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions. As of September 30, 2023, we are in the process of seeking such regulatory approvals, clearances, and waiting period expirations or terminations but cannot yet assert that it is probable that such approvals, clearances, and waiting period expirations or terminations will be obtained or the other closing conditions will be satisfied. Due to these conditions, as of September 30, 2023, Ball’s aerospace business does not meet the requirements for held for sale presentation in Ball’s consolidated financial statements.
Other consists of a non-reportable operating segment (beverage packaging, other) that manufactures and sells aluminum beverage containers in India, Saudi Arabia and throughout the Asia Pacific region; a non-reportable operating segment that manufactures and sells extruded aluminum aerosol containers and recloseable aluminum bottles across multiple consumer categories as well as aluminum slugs (aerosol packaging) throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia; a non-reportable operating segment that manufactures and sells aluminum cups (aluminum cups); undistributed corporate expenses; and intercompany eliminations and other business activities.
The company also has investments in operations in Guatemala, Panama, the U.S. and Vietnam that are accounted for under the equity method of accounting and, accordingly, those results are not included in segment sales or earnings.
During 2022, the company completed an evaluation of the estimated useful lives of its manufacturing equipment, buildings and certain assembly and test equipment. The company utilized a third-party appraiser to assist in the evaluation, which was performed as a result of the company’s experience with the duration over which its equipment can be utilized. Effective July 1, 2022, Ball revised the estimated useful lives of its equipment and buildings, which resulted in a net reduction in depreciation expense of approximately $52 million ($40 million after tax, or $0.13 per diluted share) for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to the amount of depreciation expense that would have been recognized by utilizing the prior depreciable lives. As the change was effective as of July 1, 2022, there is no impact to comparative prior quarters on a quarter to date basis after June 30, 2023.
In the first quarter of 2022, the company announced that it was pursuing the sale of its aluminum beverage packaging business located in Russia. In the second quarter of 2022, Ball experienced deteriorating conditions and determined this constituted a triggering event for its Russian long-lived asset group. As a result, Ball recorded an impairment loss of $435 million during the second quarter of 2022. In the third quarter of 2022, the company completed the sale of its Russian aluminum beverage packaging business for total cash consideration of $530 million and recorded a gain on disposal of $222 million. When considering the impairment loss recorded during the second quarter 2022 of $435 million, the impairment loss net of gain on the sale of the Russian business was $213 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, and for the year ended December 31, 2022. The impairment loss in the second quarter and the gain on sale in the third quarter were recorded in business consolidation and other activities. Ball’s historical operations and results of the Russian aluminum beverage packaging business are included in the results of the beverage packaging, EMEA, business through the date of the disposal in the third quarter of 2022.
