US-based packaging company Crown Holdings is developing its first beverage can manufacturing facility in India.
Located in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, the greenfield plant will produce aluminium beverage cans for the country’s beverage industry. Domestic demand for beverage cans is rising due to shifting consumer preferences and the broader uptake of premium, convenient packaging formats.
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The new facility will be operated by Crown Packaging India, a Crown Holdings subsidiary, established in March 2026.
The project was announced in April 2026, with an investment of Rs20.78bn ($218.53m). It is being established in collaboration with the Government of Uttar Pradesh and was assessed under the government’s FDI, Fortune Global 500 & Fortune India 500 Companies Investment Promotion Policy 2023.
The facility’s ground-breaking ceremony was held in September 2026. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027.
The plant will have a total nominal capacity of approximately 2.2 billion aluminium beverage cans a year.
The project is anticipated to create more than 200 direct jobs and over 1,500 indirect employment opportunities across logistics, warehousing, transport, maintenance, supplier networks, and ancillary industries.
Crown beverage can facility location
The greenfield facility will be developed on approximately 40 acres at Plot No. 4 of the Integrated Manufacturing & Logistics Cluster (IMLC) in Unnao.
Developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), the IMLC is an industrial and logistics zone situated at Kilometre 422 along the Ganga Expressway. The development is designed to establish industrial capacity, regional transport links, and commercial infrastructure in the area.
Crown beverage can facility details
The Unnao beverage can facility will house two production lines. Initial installed capacity is set at 1.16 billion units a year, with output projected to rise to 1.78 billion. Production will increase from 670 million units in its first year of operation to approximately 1.7 billion units annually by year ten.
The facility is designed to incorporate advanced manufacturing technologies, efficient operating processes, responsible resource management, and sustainability standards. It will meet international operational and environmental management standards.
The site will supply beverage cans to both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers.
Crown manufactures aluminium beverage cans in a range of sizes for established and emerging beverage applications, consumption occasions, and distribution channels. The aluminium beverage cans are claimed to be the most recycled and sustainable beverage packaging format worldwide.
The investment in the new facility supports Crown’s expansion in India and is underpinned by long-term customer commitments. These include a partnership with United Breweries Limited (UBL), which is part of Heineken.
Under the commercial arrangement, Crown will supply cans for UBL’s product portfolio, which includes the Kingfisher and Heineken brands.
Contractors involved
Archetype Industry, an operating unit of Archetype Group, is delivering engineering and project management services for the Unnao beverage can facility.
Marketing commentary on Crown
Founded in 1892, Crown Holdings operates 179 manufacturing plants and sales and service facilities across 39 countries. The company is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, US, and employs approximately 23,000 people.
Through its subsidiaries, Crown supplies various products, including rigid packaging, transit and protective packaging, equipment, and services for a range of end markets. Its customer base spans the beverage, food, general industrial, health and beauty, household and industrial, luxury goods, metals, and promotional sectors.
The company generated $12.36bn in net sales in 2025, with global beverage cans driving most of its business at 69% of total revenues.
