The Bundeskartellamt has granted approval for Ball Corporation, based in Westminster, Colorado, to acquire 80% of the shares and sole control over two subsidiaries of Benepack Hong Kong Ltd. This acquisition will be executed indirectly through Ball's subsidiary, Rexam Limited, located in Luton, Bedfordshire, UK.

Both parties involved in the transaction manufacture aluminum beverage cans. Benepack has been active in Europe since 2020, operating a plant in Genk, Belgium, and a newly established facility in Makó, Hungary. Ball Corporation is a global manufacturer of aluminum packaging solutions with multiple production sites, including in Germany and Europe.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Bundeskartellamt, noted that while there are only a few manufacturers of beverage cans in Europe, the competitive impact of the merger was carefully examined due to Benepack's rapid expansion into an already concentrated market. Although the merger strengthens Ball's market position, significant competitive concerns were ultimately ruled out, as buyers will still have access to several competing suppliers post-merger.

The Bundeskartellamt conducted extensive investigations, interviewing all competitors operating in Europe and around 35 customers, including beverage manufacturers and fillers. The merger particularly affects market and competitive conditions in western Germany and the neighboring Benelux countries, with transport costs limiting the competitive delivery area from specific production sites.

In the affected market area, the Luxembourg-based Ardagh Group operates several aluminum beverage can manufacturing sites, which it acquired in 2016 as part of commitments required by the European Commission for the approval of Ball's acquisition of Rexam Limited. Additionally, buyers in the affected area have alternative suppliers such as Canpack and Crown available.