Exhibit 99.1


                 To Improve Profits And Operating Efficiencies,
           Ball Consolidates Can Manufacturing Operations in U.S., PRC


     BROOMFIELD,  Colo.,  Dec.  10,  1998--Ball  Corporation,  as  part  of  its
comprehensive program to improve profits and operating  efficiencies,  announced
today that it will close four plants that produce metal cans,  two in the United
States  and two in the  People's  Republic  of  China  (PRC),  and  will  supply
customers of the closed facilities from other Ball plants.
     The company said the U.S.  plant  closings will be accounted for as part of
Ball's  acquisition  earlier  this  year  of the  North  American  beverage  can
manufacturing  assets of Reynolds  Metals  Company and thus will not result in a
charge to earnings.  The PRC plant closings and other actions in China are being
taken  to  improve  overall   profitability  and  cash  flow  through  headcount
reductions and lower  manufacturing  costs. These actions in the PRC, which will
provide  positive  cash flow of more than $21 million to Ball,  will result in a
fourth quarter after-tax charge of approximately $31 million.
     Ball said that  during  the first  quarter of 1999 it will close a beverage
can manufacturing plant in Hayward, Calif., and a beverage can lid manufacturing
plant in Rocklin, Calif. The plants are two of 16 acquired by Ball from Reynolds
in August.  In the PRC, the  facilities  to be closed are one beverage can plant
and one food can plant.
     George  A.  Matsik,  president  of Ball  Corporation  and  chief  operating
officer,  packaging,  said the actions the company is taking in the U.S. and the
PRC will further reduce costs and improve operating efficiencies.
     "Our  Fairfield,  Calif.,  plant has shown  tremendous  improvement  in its
production in 1998, and we will have increased output from our Torrance, Calif.,
plant  by more  than  two  million  cans a day by the end of 1999  from  when we
acquired it in August 1998. The result is that we have  sufficient  beverage can
production  capacity  on the West Coast from those two  facilities  and from our
plants in Seattle and in Richmond, British Columbia. As for can lids, it will be
more  efficient  for us to serve our  customers  primarily  from our  larger lid
production centers in Golden,  Colo.; Findlay,  Ohio; and Bristol,  Va.," Matsik
said.  "Additional  capacity  rationalization  and  cost  savings  in our  North
American metal beverage  container  production system likely will occur in 1999,
as we further  integrate the assets acquired from Reynolds.  These steps and the
resulting savings are consistent with our overall  expectations when we acquired
the Reynolds assets.
     "In the PRC, the two plant  closings are the latest in a series of moves we
have made to  improve  results,"  Matsik  said.  "As the  largest  beverage  can
supplier in the PRC, we have ample  production  capacity there for current needs
and to meet near  term  growth  projections.  As a part of these  current  plant
shutdowns,  we will  consolidate  certain  beverage can production  capacity and
operations.  In about a two-year period since we acquired MC Packaging,  we will
have idled or removed more than a billion cans a year in production  capacity in
the PRC and reduced manning there by more than 1,500."
     George A. Sissel,  Ball's  chairman and chief executive  officer,  said the
company is committed to achieving the savings  identified in connection with its
recent  acquisitions  and  other  corporate  actions.  "First we  relocated  our
corporate headquarters, with annual savings of $4 million. Then we moved quickly
to consolidate  metal container staff functions  following our acquisition  from
Reynolds,  and now we are beginning the process of consolidating  North American
production operations," Sissel said. "Also, in the PRC we intend to maintain our
strong market position while we continue to take  aggressive  actions to improve
results. We are determined to be an effective competitor and a low-cost producer
wherever we operate."
     Ball produces  packaging  products,  primarily for beverages and foods, and
provides  aerospace  and other  technologies  and services to  governmental  and
commercial customers.  The company had 1997 sales, pro forma for the acquisition
from Reynolds in August 1998, of $3.6 billion.

Note:  This news release  contains  forward-looking  statements.  Actual results
could differ  materially  from those that may be projected.  Please refer to the
Form 10-Q filed by Ball  Corporation  on Nov. 5, 1998, for a summary of key risk
factors that could affect actual results.