History
That mindset and entrepreneurial vision has continued to set the tone for the Company ever since, driving decisions that led to geographical and product expansion, the launch of numerous technology innovations, a leadership position in sustainability and opportunities for future growth.
1892 – A New Industry
Inventor William Painter patents the 'crown cork' and starts the Crown Cork & Seal Company of Baltimore.
1898 – Automation
Painter introduces the first foot-powered syruper-crowner, allowing operators to fill and cap 24 bottles a minute.
1906 – Early Expansion
The Company’s manufacturing base expands to Europe, South America and Asia Pacific.
1919 – World War I
In the face of Prohibition, Crown begins shifting production from beer to soft drinks.
1930 – New Speeds
Crown introduces high-speed, three-piece bodymaking, revolutionizing the canmaking process.
1936 – Moving into Tin Cans
The Acme Can Company of Philadelphia is acquired by Crown, enabling the Company to enter the tin can business.
1937 – The Crowntainer
Crown perfects the electrolytic tin plating process and launches the Crowntainer, a 2-piece necked-in steel can sealed with a crown.
1941 to 1945 – The Tin Can Goes to War
Production shifts to war products, including airplane wings and gas mask canisters.
1952 – Spra-tainer
The Spra-tainer, a lightweight, two-piece aerosol can for the food, personal care, household and insecticide markets, makes its debut.
1960 – From Beer to Soft Drinks
Crown starts designing equipment specifically to meet the needs of soft drink producers and gains considerable market share in the United States.
1969 – Steel Beverage Cans
A new two-piece steel beverage can alternative to the aluminum can, called the Drawn-N-Ironed, is launched and it rapidly becomes a hit product.
1977 – Additional Expansion
With 60 plants globally, Crown becomes one of the world’s leading producers of cans and crowns. Net sales reach $1 billion.
1982 – High Impact Decoration
Crown introduces reprotherm, a patented process for photographic quality decoration on beverage cans.
1985 – Early Steps to Reduce Can Weight
A new process is developed that allows lighter base weight metal to be used on aluminum beverage cans.
1990 – Consolidation Begins
Crown acquires major portions of Continental Can Company and becomes the North American packaging leader.
1992 – Expanding Focus
CONSTAR International is acquired, expanding the Company’s reach into the PET plastic containers market in the beverage, food and household sectors.
1996 – Creating a World Packaging Leader
Crown acquires CarnaudMetalbox, Europe's leading manufacturer of metal and plastic packaging, and becomes the world's packaging leader.
2002 – CONSTAR IPO
Crown completes the sale of 89.5% of its shares in CONSTAR through an Initial Public Offering.
2003 – Refinancing
A $3.2 billion refinancing plan is completed and Crown Holdings, Inc. is formed as a new public holding company.
2005-2006 – Realigning Focus
Crown sells its global plastic closures and cosmetics packaging businesses.
2011 – Leading the Way in Sustainability
The Company’s inaugural Sustainability Report is published for fiscal years 2007 through 2010.
2014 – A Time of Growth
Crown purchases Mivisa Envases, SAU, a leading Spanish manufacturer of two- and three-piece food cans and ends to significantly build upon the Company’s existing position in the strategically important European food can segment.
2015 – Expanding in the Mexican Market
To significantly enhance the Company’s position in beverage cans regionally and globally, Crown acquires EMPAQUE, a leading Mexican manufacturer of aluminum cans and ends, bottle caps and glass bottles for the beverage industry, from Heineken N.V.
2018 – Product and Geographic Diversity
Crown acquires Signode Industrial Group Holdings Ltd., a leading global provider of a variety of market-leading technologies that are essential to contain, unitize, protect and secure goods during manufacturing, transport, and warehousing. The business is now known as Crown's Transit Packaging Division.
2019 – Getting Creative
A new 14,000-sq.-ft. graphics facility in Ambler, PA opens its doors to optimize package design and speed time to market for beverage brands.
2020 – Accelerating Sustainability
Crown launches Twentyby30, an ambitious, comprehensive sustainability program that outlines twenty measurable environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals to be completed by 2030 or sooner.
2021 – Investing in Continued Growth
Crown sells its European Tinplate business to KPS Capital Partners, LP to further invest in beverage can capital projects and support surging customer demand for the format.