Ball Corporation is one of the largest metal packaging companies in the world. Headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, the company reported $14.1 billion in net sales in 2023 and operates manufacturing plants across the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. Its primary product lines are aluminum beverage cans, aerosol containers, and aluminum cups. If you run a certified diverse business in manufacturing support, professional services, or materials supply, Ball is a realistic target.
Ball Corporation's supplier diversity program
Ball's supplier diversity efforts sit inside its Global Procurement function. The company is an active NMSDC corporate member, which means it participates in regional affiliate matchmaking events and reports diverse spend through NMSDC's corporate tracking framework.
Ball's stated commitments focus on three areas: increasing spend with minority-owned businesses (MBE), growing the pipeline of diverse suppliers in its aluminum supply chain, and expanding professional services sourcing from diverse firms. The company has made public commitments to sustainable sourcing and ESG reporting, and diverse supplier inclusion is embedded in those filings.
Ball does not publish a specific annual diverse spend dollar target the way some Fortune 500 companies do. However, given the company's scale and NMSDC membership, procurement teams at this size are typically evaluated on diverse spend as a percentage of addressable spend, not just raw dollars. If you ask a Ball procurement contact directly, push for the percentage target rather than an aggregate number.
Certifications Ball Corporation recognizes
Ball gives purchasing preference to businesses holding third-party diversity certifications. The certifications they recognize align with standard NMSDC-member corporate practice:
- MBE (Minority Business Enterprise) — certified by NMSDC regional affiliates such as the Rocky Mountain MSDC (which covers Colorado) or the affiliate nearest your operations
- WBE (Women's Business Enterprise) — certified by WBENC or a WBENC regional partner organization
- SDVOSB / VOSB (Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned Small Business) — certified by the VA's CVE program or NaVOBA
- WOSB / EDWOSB (Women-Owned Small Business) — federal SBA certification
- LGBTBE — certified by NGLCC
- DOBE (Disability-Owned Business Enterprise) — certified by Disability:IN
If you are pursuing Ball as a government-adjacent sub-tier supplier (Ball supplies aluminum cans to defense and government food programs), your federal certifications (8(a), HUBZone) may also be relevant context in conversations, even if Ball's internal program doesn't explicitly track them.
The baseline: if you don't hold at least one of the above, you won't appear in Ball's diverse supplier database searches. Get certified first. If you're in Colorado, start with the Rocky Mountain MSDC for MBE or the Rocky Mountain WBENC affiliate for WBE.
How to register as a diverse supplier
Ball uses the Coupa Supplier Portal as its supplier registration and sourcing platform. This is the primary way procurement teams at Ball discover and vet potential vendors.
Steps to register:
- Go to Ball's supplier registration page. The direct entry point is through Ball's corporate website under "Suppliers" or you can search "Ball Corporation Coupa supplier portal" to find the current URL. Ball's procurement contact page as of 2024 lists supplier registration under the Procurement section.
- Create a Coupa supplier profile. You will need your company's legal name, EIN, address, NAICS codes, a capability summary, and references. Upload your diversity certification documents during registration, not as an afterthought — this is what flags your profile for diverse supplier searches.
- Select the commodity categories that match your services. Ball's Coupa taxonomy maps to their sourcing categories (see section below). Choosing the wrong categories means your profile won't appear in the right buyer searches.
- Submit the profile and watch for a confirmation email from Ball's Procurement team.
Registration alone won't win you business. Coupa is a discovery layer. You still need a human relationship to advance from "registered" to "active vendor."
Product and service categories Ball sources from diverse suppliers
Ball's manufacturing footprint creates demand across a narrower category set than a diversified conglomerate. Focus your pitch on categories where Ball has recurring, scalable spend:
Materials and raw inputs - Aluminum and metal components (specialty alloys, tooling parts) - Inks, coatings, and lacquers for can printing - Lubricants and process chemicals - Packaging consumables (pallets, corrugated, stretch wrap)
Manufacturing services - Equipment maintenance and repair (MRO) - Industrial cleaning and environmental services - Facility management at production plants - Quality testing and inspection services - Contract manufacturing for non-core components
Logistics and supply chain - Trucking and freight (regional carriers especially, given Ball's plant network) - Warehousing and distribution - Reverse logistics and recycling coordination
Professional and business services - IT staffing and managed services - Engineering consulting - Environmental and safety consulting - Marketing, print, and promotional services - Accounting, legal, and HR services
Ball's aluminum can plants are in locations including Fort Worth TX, Findlay OH, Conroe TX, Whitehouse OH, Monticello IN, and Wallkill NY, among others. If your business is in or near one of these markets, that geographic proximity is a real differentiator. Procurement teams prefer local service vendors for plant-level work.
Industry events and how to get a meeting
Ball's procurement and supplier diversity team members attend NMSDC events with the highest regularity. The annual NMSDC Conference and Business Opportunity Exchange is the single best place to get a face-to-face meeting. It typically runs in October. Ball's attendance at NMSDC events is well-documented given their corporate membership.
Other events worth targeting:
- Rocky Mountain MSDC programs — since Ball is headquartered in Westminster, local RMSDC events give you access to Ball's local procurement staff. RMSDC hosts matchmaking sessions, and Ball participates as a corporate member.
- WBENC National Conference — usually held in June. Ball-adjacent procurement staff (particularly for services categories) attend.
- Packaging events: Pack Expo (Chicago, biennial) and CANBEV events attract Ball's technical procurement teams. These are not supplier diversity events, but they're where Ball's operations buyers are.
Before you walk into any event where Ball will be present, send an email to Ball's supplier diversity team first. Address it to the Director of Supplier Diversity or the procurement point of contact listed on their website. Keep it short: your certification, your NAICS codes, the specific category you serve, one client reference in manufacturing or CPG, and a request for five minutes at the event. You want to convert a cold table interaction into a scheduled meeting.
Ball's general supplier contact as of 2024: supplierdiversity@ball.com — verify this is current before sending.
Realistic timeline and first steps
Most diverse suppliers who win business with a company like Ball spent 12 to 24 months building the relationship before a first purchase order. That's not pessimism; that's what the data from NMSDC outcome surveys shows. Plan your outreach around that timeline.
Months 1-2: Foundation - Secure or renew your diversity certification (MBE, WBE, or SDVOSB) - Register in the Coupa supplier portal with complete documentation - Identify the specific Ball plant or business unit most likely to need your services
Months 3-6: First contact - Email Ball's supplier diversity contact with your capability summary - Attend a Rocky Mountain MSDC event or register for NMSDC's matchmaking portal - Request an introductory call, not a sales pitch — ask about their supplier requirements and pain points in your category
Months 6-12: Relationship development - Follow up after events with specific capability documentation - If you got a call, ask to be considered for a small pilot or RFQ - Keep your Coupa profile updated as you add certifications or capabilities
Months 12-24: First commercial engagement - Most first engagements start as secondary vendors or project-based work - Ball's plant-level buyers have more discretion on smaller spend; corporate procurement controls larger contracts - A strong plant-level relationship is often the path to a broader corporate vendor agreement
One practical note: Ball completed its acquisition of Rexam in 2016 and has gone through multiple procurement integration cycles since. Its current supplier base is large and established. The realistic entry point for a new diverse supplier is through MRO, services, and logistics at the plant level, not through prime aluminum supply, which is dominated by long-term contracts with major mills.
Start local, start with services, and show up at Rocky Mountain MSDC events. That's the path.
