BALL CORP
8-K, 1996-07-16
METAL CANS
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<PAGE>


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT




                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) July 16, 1996



                                BALL CORPORATION
             ------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



                                     Indiana
                  --------------------------------------------
                 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

           1-7349                                      35-0160610
   ----------------------                  --------------------------------
  (Commission File Number)                 (IRS Employer Identification No.)



                345 South High Street, Muncie, Indiana 47305-2326
               --------------------------------------------------
               (Address of principal executive office) (Zip Code)



Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (317) 747-6100


<PAGE>


                                Ball Corporation
                           Current Report on Form 8-K
                               Dated July 16, 1996

Item 5.  Other Events.

In  connection  with the "safe  harbor"  provisions  of the  Private  Securities
Litigation  Reform  Act of 1995,  Ball  Corporation  (the  "Company")  is hereby
identifying  important  factors that could cause the Company's actual results to
differ  materially  from those  projected in  forward-looking  statements of the
Company made by, or on behalf of the Company.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

The following is filed as an Exhibit to this Report.

Exhibit Number 99

Description

Cautionary Statement for Purposes of the "Safe Harbor" Provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.





<PAGE>


                                Ball Corporation
                           Current Report on Form 8-K
                               Dated July 16, 1996


                                    SIGNATURE



Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.



                                        BALL CORPORATION
                                        (Registrant)



Date:  July 16, 1996                    By:  /s/ R. David Hoover
                                             ----------------------------
                                             Executive Vice President and
                                             Chief Financial Officer





<PAGE>


                                Ball Corporation
                           Current Report on Form 8-K
                               Dated July 16, 1996

                                                                   Exhibit EX-99

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF THE "SAFE HARBOR" PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE
SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995.

Except for historical  matters,  the matters discussed in various reports issued
by  the  company  which  are   forward-looking   statements  involve  risks  and
uncertainties.  Forward-looking  statements involve  assumptions,  estimates and
judgments that when made are based on information and estimates available at the
time.  Many  of the  following  important  factors  discussed  below  have  been
discussed in the company's  prior SEC filings,  in  Management's  Discussion and
Analyses sections of the company's SEC filings, press releases, and orally, and,
had the Act become  effective at a different time,  would have been discussed in
or  included by  reference  in SEC Form 10-Q and 10-K  filings.  Forward-looking
statements  include,  but are not limited  to,  statements  under the  following
headings:  (i) "Business  Segments" which discuss each of the company's business
segments  dealing  with the  company's  Metal  Beverage  Container,  Metal  Food
Container, Glass Container and Plastic Container operations;  (ii) the Aerospace
Communication  segment which was  reorganized  into two  operating  divisions as
follows:  Telecommunications  and  Aerospace  Systems and various  joint venture
companies.

The company wishes to caution readers that in addition to the important  factors
described elsewhere within its reports,  the following important factors,  among
others,  may cause the actual segment and consolidated  results during 1996, and
beyond,  to differ  materially  from  those  expressed  in any  forward  looking
statements made by, or on behalf of the company.

- -    Underutilization  of the company's  plants and  factories,  or of any plant
     expansions  or new plants,  including,  but not  limited  to,  those in the
     packaging  products  segment,  resulting in production  inefficiencies  and
     higher costs; start-up expenses and inefficiencies and delays and increased
     costs  in  connection  with the  start  of  production  in new  plants  and
     expansions,  including,  but not limited to, those in the plastic container
     operations.

- -    Financial  results are based upon  assumptions,  estimates and judgments of
     management   and,  as  a  result,   actual   performance  may  differ  from
     forward-looking  estimates  based  upon  changes  in facts,  circumstances,
     improved information or changes in accounting.

- -    The  company's   actions  in  connection   with  continued  and  increasing
     competition in many product and service areas,  including,  but not limited
     to, metal beverage packaging,  food container packaging,  plastic container
     packaging and aerospace products and services, including price competition,
     fluctuating  demand for certain products in certain  seasons,  such as food
     containers   which  are  subject  to  seasonal   changes  in  the  weather;
     competition  in the  Aerospace  industry,  particularly  in the  commercial
     telecommunications  and space  markets,  which could result in  fluctuating
     results from quarter to quarter.

- -    Difficulties  in  obtaining  raw  materials,  supplies,  power and  natural
     resources,  and any other items needed for the production of metal,  glass,
     and plastic containers as well as telecommunications and aerospace products
     which  could  affect  the  company's  or its  affiliates  ability  to  ship
     containers and  telecommunications and aerospace products.

- -    Pricing of raw materials,  supplies, power and natural resources needed for
     the  production  of  metal,  glass,  and  plastic  containers  as  well  as
     telecommunications  and  aerospace  products.  Pricing  and ability to sell
     scrap  associated  with the production of metal  containers.  The effect of
     changes in the cost of warehousing the company's products.

- -    Difficulties,  delays or failures in the development,  production,  testing
     and marketing of metal, glass,  plastic and aerospace products,  including,
     but not limited to, a failure to ship new  products and  technologies  when
     anticipated,  including, can and end technologies; the failure of customers
     to accept these products or technologies when planned.

<PAGE>


- -    The failure of EarthWatch,  Incorporated, to launch successfully satellites
     planned for 1996 and subsequent  years;  technological or market acceptance
     issues,   performance   failures  in  related  contracts  or  subcontracts,
     including any failure of EarthWatch to receive additional  financing needed
     for  EarthWatch  to continue to make  payments,  or any events  which would
     require the company to provide additional financial support for EarthWatch,
     Incorporated.

- -    The inability of the company or its subsidiaries to realize  investments in
     the glass  container  business  and other joint  venture  companies  due to
     changed   economic   conditions,   customer   preferences,   relationships,
     bankruptcy, currency risk, or political risk.

- -    The  inability  of the  company,  its  subsidiaries  and joint  ventures to
     successfully   establish  metal  container  plants  in  certain  designated
     international  markets as well as the failure of  customers to accept these
     products; the inability of the packaging subsidiaries and joint ventures to
     perform  contracts  or  subcontracts,  including  the  inability  of  these
     subsidiaries and joint ventures to receive additional  financing needed for
     these subsidiaries to continue to make payments,  or any events which would
     require  the  company  to provide  additional  financial  support  for such
     subsidiaries and joint ventures.

- -    The inability to sell products and services due to the customers'  changing
     markets or relationships  and the inability to collect or extreme delays in
     collecting accounts receivables.

- -    The effects of, and changes in, laws and  regulations,  other activities of
     governments  (including political  situations and inflationary  economies),
     agencies and similar  organizations,  including,  but not limited to, those
     affecting  frequency,  use and  availability  of metal,  glass and  plastic
     containers,   the  authorization  and  control  over  the  availability  of
     government contracts and the nature and continuation of those contracts and
     the related services  provided  thereunder,  the use of remote sensing data
     and changes in domestic and international tax laws.

- -    The  cancellation  or  termination  of  government  contracts  by the  U.S.
     government, other customers, or other government contractors.

- -    The  costs  and  other  effects  of  legal  and  administrative  cases  and
     proceedings  (whether civil, or criminal),  settlements and investigations,
     claims,  and changes in those items,  and  developments or assertions by or
     against the  company  relating to  products  and  services,  environmental,
     intellectual  property  rights  and  intellectual  property  licenses,  and
     compliance with the law.

- -    The effect on revenue,  profits,  assets and  liabilities  as the result of
     decisions by the Internal  Revenue  Service,  or other taxing  authorities,
     courts of law,  arbitral  tribunals,  legislative  bodies or administrative
     agencies.

- -    The effects of changes in the company's organization or in the compensation
     and/or benefit plans;  any changes in agreements  regarding  investments or
     joint ventures in which the company has an investment;  the amount, type or
     cost of the company's financing and changes to that financing.

- -    Risks  involved  in  purchasing  and  selling  products  and  services  and
     receiving payments in currencies other than the U.S. dollar.



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