Ball Aerospace Taps Kaufman to Lead National Defense

BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. has selected Dave Kaufman to lead its National Defense strategic business unit. As vice president and general manager, Kaufman's responsibilities include acquisition and execution of space hardware programs for Ball's defense and intelligence-related customers.

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"In his 12 years with Ball, Dave has shown dynamic leadership on critical programs and earned the confidence of customers in the national defense community," said Robert D. Strain, Ball Aerospace president. "He has also identified and captured future business opportunities for the company in new and adjacent markets."

Prior to the appointment, Kaufman was director for Ball's National Security Space mission area within National Defense.  He previously served as Ball's program manager for the Space Test Program Standard Interface Vehicle under contract to the U.S. Air Force; and program manager for the Orbital Express Nextsat program sponsored by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Kaufman joined the company in 2000 as a spacecraft systems engineer, and has more than 20 years of experience supporting the aerospace industry and government customers in design, test, project and systems engineering, and management.

Earlier in his career, Kaufman was awarded two patents for his research and development work and led thermal and system engineering efforts for multiple communications satellite programs. Kaufman earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and bachelor's degrees from Stanford and Willamette Universities.

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. supports critical missions for national agencies such as the Department of Defense, NASA, NOAA and other U.S. government and commercial entities. The company develops and manufactures spacecraft, advanced instruments and sensors, components, data exploitation systems and RF solutions for strategic, tactical and scientific applications. For more information, visit www.ballaerospace.com.

Ball Corporation (NYSE: BLL) supplies innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for beverage, food and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 15,000 people worldwide and reported 2012 sales of more than $8.7 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates, " "estimates" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; and changes in foreign exchange rates or tax rates. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the recent global recession and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding the U.S. government budget and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

SOURCE Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.