Acquisitions	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Acquisitions
Acquisitions	4. Acquisitions Rexam PLC (Rexam) On February 19, 2015, the company and Rexam PLC (Rexam) announced the terms of a recommended offer by the company to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Rexam in a cash and stock transaction. Under the terms of the offer, for each Rexam share, Rexam shareholders will receive 407 pence in cash and 0.04568 shares of the company. The transaction valued Rexam at 610 pence per share based on the company’s 90-day volume weighted average stock price as of February 17, 2015, and an exchange rate of US $1.54: £1 on that date representing an equity value of £4.3 billion ($6.6 billion). The actual value of the transaction will be determined based on the exchange rate and the company’s stock price at the time of the closing of the transaction. As described below, the company has entered into collar and option contracts to partially mitigate its currency exchange risk with regard to the cash component of the purchase price. By way of compensation for any loss suffered by Rexam in connection with the preparation and negotiation of the offer, the co-operation agreement and any other document relating to the acquisition, Ball has undertaken in the co-operation agreement that, on the occurrence of a break payment event Ball will pay, or procure the payment to Rexam of an amount in cash in British pounds. As discussed below, Ball’s shareholders approved the issuance of Ball common stock to shareholders of Rexam as partial consideration for the proposed acquisition. As a result, the amount of the break payment would be £302 million. A special meeting of Ball’s shareholders was held on July 28, 2015, to approve the issuance of Ball common stock to shareholders of Rexam as partial consideration for the proposed acquisition. Both Ball and Rexam’s boards of directors unanimously support the transaction, and the consummation of the transaction remains subject to approval from Rexam’s shareholders, certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Subject to the satisfaction of all such conditions, Ball currently expects to complete the acquisition during the first half of 2016. Ball currently expects to complete the Rexam acquisition during the first half of 2016, subject to final regulatory approval by the European Commission (EC), Brazil’s Council for Economic Defence (CADE) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the completion of the Rexam acquisition divestitures required by the regulators and other customary closing conditions; however, there can be no assurances that the Rexam acquisition or the Rexam acquisition divestitures will be completed by such time, or on the terms described herein, or at all. The European Commission (EC) and Brazil’s Council for Economic Defence (CADE) have provided conditional clearance of the proposed acquisition, subject to their approval of the proposed buyer of the divested assets and other customary regulatory processes. Ball owned interests in a joint venture company (Latapack-Ball) organized and operating in Brazil. During October and November 2015, Ball and its joint venture partners reached an agreement to exchange all of their interest in Latapack-Ball for a total of approximately 5.7 million treasury shares of Ball common stock and $17.4 million of cash. The acquisition of the noncontrolling interests in the joint venture was completed in December 2015, and Latapack-Ball is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Ball. Long-Term Debt In February 2015, the company entered into a £3.3 billion unsecured, committed bridge loan agreement, pursuant to which lending institutions have agreed, subject to limited conditions, to provide the financing necessary to pay the cash portion of the consideration payable to Rexam’s shareholders upon consummation of the announced, proposed acquisition of Rexam along with related fees and expenses. In December 2015, the company issued senior notes totaling $1 billion, €400 million and €700 million due 2020, 2020, and 2023, respectively, with rates of 4.375 percent, 3.5 percent and 4.375 percent, respectively. Pursuant to the terms of the unsecured bridge loan agreement, the company deposited the net proceeds from the issuance of such notes into escrow accounts, recorded as restricted cash, (from which proceeds would be released, subject to certain conditions, to pay a portion of the cash consideration payable to Rexam shareholders and related fees and expenses), which reduced the commitments under the unsecured bridge loan agreement to £1.9 billion. If the Rexam acquisition is not consummated on or prior to November 15, 2016, we will be required to effect the redemption of all of the outstanding notes from the December 2015 senior note issuances at the redemption price applicable to each series. This would result in the use of restricted cash and other available funds to redeem these senior notes and pay any additional fees. However, the senior note offerings are not conditioned upon the Rexam acquisition. See Note 13 for further details related to these transactions. On February 19, 2015, the company entered into a $3 billion revolving credit facility to replace the existing approximate $1 billion bank credit facility, redeem the 2020 and 2021 senior notes and provide ongoing liquidity for the company. In June 2015, during a subsequent debt offering, the company issued $1 billion of 5.25 percent senior notes, thereby reducing the borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility from $3 billion to $2.25 billion. See Note 13 for further details related to these transactions. Currency Exchange Rate and Interest Rate Risks During 2015, the company entered into collar and option contracts to partially mitigate its currency exchange rate risk associated with the British pound denominated cash portion of the purchase price from February 19, 2015, through the expected closing date of the announced, proposed acquisition of Rexam, with an aggregate notional amount of approximately £1.8 billion ($2.7 billion). In connection with the December 2015 issuance of $1 billion of U.S. dollar senior notes due 2020, the company executed cross-currency swaps to convert this fixed-rate U.S. dollar debt issuance to fixed-rate euro debt for the life of the notes to more effectively match the future cash flows of our business. The cross-currency swaps have a notional amount of $1.0 billion and expire within five years. These contracts were not designated as hedges, and therefore, changes in the fair value of these contracts are recorded in the consolidated statements of earnings in business consolidation and other activities. Also in 2015, the company entered into interest rate swaps to hedge against rising U.S. and European interest rates to minimize its interest rate exposure associated with anticipated debt issuances in connection with the announced, proposed acquisition of Rexam. At December 31, 2015, the company had U.S. and European outstanding interest rate swaps with notional amounts totaling approximately $200 million and €1,750 million, respectively. In addition, the company entered into interest rate option contracts to hedge negative Euribor rates with an aggregate notional amount of €750 million. Subsequent to 2015, the company terminated interest rate swap contracts with an aggregate notional amount of $923 million (€850 million). These contracts were not designated as hedges; therefore, changes in the fair value of these interest swap and option contracts are recorded in the consolidated statements of earnings in debt refinancing and other costs, a component of total interest expense. For further details related to the aforementioned currency exchange rate and interest rate risks, and the valuation of these derivatives, see Notes 5 and 19. Sonoco Products Company (Sonoco) In February 2015, the company acquired Sonoco’s metal end and closure manufacturing facilities in Canton, Ohio, and entered into a long-term supply agreement with Sonoco in exchange for total cash of $29.1 million paid at closing, $10.5 million of contingent cash consideration and $24.4 million of contingent noncash consideration. The facilities manufacture multiple-sized closures for the metal food container market, including high quality steel and aluminum easy-open ends. The financial results of Sonoco have been included in our metal food and household products packaging segment from the date of acquisition. The acquisition is not material to the company.

4. Acquisitions

Rexam PLC (Rexam)

On February 19, 2015, the company and Rexam PLC (Rexam) announced the terms of a recommended offer by the company to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Rexam in a cash and stock transaction. Under the terms of the offer, for each Rexam share, Rexam shareholders will receive 407 pence in cash and 0.04568 shares of the company. The transaction valued Rexam at 610 pence per share based on the company’s 90-day volume weighted average stock price as of February 17, 2015, and an exchange rate of US $1.54: £1 on that date representing an equity value of £4.3 billion ($6.6 billion). The actual value of the transaction will be determined based on the exchange rate and the company’s stock price at the time of the closing of the transaction. As described below, the company has entered into collar and option contracts to partially mitigate its currency exchange risk with regard to the cash component of the purchase price.

By way of compensation for any loss suffered by Rexam in connection with the preparation and negotiation of the offer, the co-operation agreement and any other document relating to the acquisition, Ball has undertaken in the co-operation agreement that, on the occurrence of a break payment event Ball will pay, or procure the payment to Rexam of an amount in cash in British pounds. As discussed below, Ball’s shareholders approved the issuance of Ball common stock to shareholders of Rexam as partial consideration for the proposed acquisition. As a result, the amount of the break payment would be £302 million.

A special meeting of Ball’s shareholders was held on July 28, 2015, to approve the issuance of Ball common stock to shareholders of Rexam as partial consideration for the proposed acquisition. Both Ball and Rexam’s boards of directors unanimously support the transaction, and the consummation of the transaction remains subject to approval from Rexam’s shareholders, certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Subject to the satisfaction of all such conditions, Ball currently expects to complete the acquisition during the first half of 2016.

Ball currently expects to complete the Rexam acquisition during the first half of 2016, subject to final regulatory approval by the European Commission (EC), Brazil’s Council for Economic Defence (CADE) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the completion of the Rexam acquisition divestitures required by the regulators and other customary closing conditions; however, there can be no assurances that the Rexam acquisition or the Rexam acquisition divestitures will be completed by such time, or on the terms described herein, or at all. The European Commission (EC) and Brazil’s Council for Economic Defence (CADE) have provided conditional clearance of the proposed acquisition, subject to their approval of the proposed buyer of the divested assets and other customary regulatory processes.

Ball owned interests in a joint venture company (Latapack-Ball) organized and operating in Brazil. During October and November 2015, Ball and its joint venture partners reached an agreement to exchange all of their interest in Latapack-Ball for a total of approximately 5.7 million treasury shares of Ball common stock and $17.4 million of cash. The acquisition of the noncontrolling interests in the joint venture was completed in December 2015, and Latapack-Ball is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Ball.

Long-Term Debt

In February 2015, the company entered into a £3.3 billion unsecured, committed bridge loan agreement, pursuant to which lending institutions have agreed, subject to limited conditions, to provide the financing necessary to pay the cash portion of the consideration payable to Rexam’s shareholders upon consummation of the announced, proposed acquisition of Rexam along with related fees and expenses. In December 2015, the company issued senior notes totaling $1 billion, €400 million and €700 million due 2020, 2020, and 2023, respectively, with rates of 4.375 percent, 3.5 percent and 4.375 percent, respectively. Pursuant to the terms of the unsecured bridge loan agreement, the company deposited the net proceeds from the issuance of such notes into escrow accounts, recorded as restricted cash, (from which proceeds would be released, subject to certain conditions, to pay a portion of the cash consideration payable to Rexam shareholders and related fees and expenses), which reduced the commitments under the unsecured bridge loan agreement to £1.9 billion. If the Rexam acquisition is not consummated on or prior to November 15, 2016, we will be required to effect the redemption of all of the outstanding notes from the December 2015 senior note issuances at the redemption price applicable to each series. This would result in the use of restricted cash and other available funds to redeem these senior notes and pay any additional fees. However, the senior note offerings are not conditioned upon the Rexam acquisition. See Note 13 for further details related to these transactions.

On February 19, 2015, the company entered into a $3 billion revolving credit facility to replace the existing approximate $1 billion bank credit facility, redeem the 2020 and 2021 senior notes and provide ongoing liquidity for the company. In June 2015, during a subsequent debt offering, the company issued $1 billion of 5.25 percent senior notes, thereby reducing the borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility from $3 billion to $2.25 billion. See Note 13 for further details related to these transactions.

Currency Exchange Rate and Interest Rate Risks

During 2015, the company entered into collar and option contracts to partially mitigate its currency exchange rate risk associated with the British pound denominated cash portion of the purchase price from February 19, 2015, through the expected closing date of the announced, proposed acquisition of Rexam, with an aggregate notional amount of approximately £1.8 billion ($2.7 billion). In connection with the December 2015 issuance of $1 billion of U.S. dollar senior notes due 2020, the company executed cross-currency swaps to convert this fixed-rate U.S. dollar debt issuance to fixed-rate euro debt for the life of the notes to more effectively match the future cash flows of our business. The cross-currency swaps have a notional amount of $1.0 billion and expire within five years. These contracts were not designated as hedges, and therefore, changes in the fair value of these contracts are recorded in the consolidated statements of earnings in business consolidation and other activities.

Also in 2015, the company entered into interest rate swaps to hedge against rising U.S. and European interest rates to minimize its interest rate exposure associated with anticipated debt issuances in connection with the announced, proposed acquisition of Rexam. At December 31, 2015, the company had U.S. and European outstanding interest rate swaps with notional amounts totaling approximately $200 million and €1,750 million, respectively. In addition, the company entered into interest rate option contracts to hedge negative Euribor rates with an aggregate notional amount of €750 million. Subsequent to 2015, the company terminated interest rate swap contracts with an aggregate notional amount of $923 million (€850 million). These contracts were not designated as hedges; therefore, changes in the fair value of these interest swap and option contracts are recorded in the consolidated statements of earnings in debt refinancing and other costs, a component of total interest expense.

For further details related to the aforementioned currency exchange rate and interest rate risks, and the valuation of these derivatives, see Notes 5 and 19.

Sonoco Products Company (Sonoco)

In February 2015, the company acquired Sonoco’s metal end and closure manufacturing facilities in Canton, Ohio, and entered into a long-term supply agreement with Sonoco in exchange for total cash of $29.1 million paid at closing, $10.5 million of contingent cash consideration and $24.4 million of contingent noncash consideration. The facilities manufacture multiple-sized closures for the metal food container market, including high quality steel and aluminum easy-open ends. The financial results of Sonoco have been included in our metal food and household products packaging segment from the date of acquisition. The acquisition is not material to the company.