Ball Corporation has picked Millersburg for a new state-of-the-art aluminum can manufacturing and warehousing facility, locking in a project that local and state officials say will bring more than 100 jobs to a 47-acre site and is expected to come online in 2026. The development, tracked by state economic-development staff under the code name "Project DeLorean," is the latest example of manufacturers choosing Oregon as a West Coast production hub.
Why Millersburg?
Millersburg's spot in the mid Willamette Valley gives Ball quick access to highways and rail, plus proximity to an intermodal freight hub, a logistics combination local leaders heavily pitched to the company. Ball executives have said the Millersburg plant will unlock roughly $1.5 billion in added volume in 2027 and that North American capacity is tight until it opens, according to the company's Q3 2025 earnings call transcript on AlphaStreet.
Public incentives helped close the deal
State and local officials worked to make the site buildable, using public funding to extend utilities and roads so Ball could move quickly. Business Oregon used special public-works tools to help extend water and road access, and the Oregon Department of Transportation awarded a $1 million grant to build a road to the site, as reported by Oregon Business. The state agency also has programs that make forgivable loans and strategic reserve funding available for projects like this, per Business Oregon.
What it means for Oregon manufacturing
The deal lands in the middle of a strong manufacturing story statewide. The four manufacturing groups called out in recent reporting - wood products, food and beverage, manufactured equipment and metals - employ more than 150,000 Oregonians and helped drive roughly $28 billion in exports in 2025, according to the Portland Business Journal. That coverage notes that wood-products employment is concentrated well above the national average and that manufactured-equipment wages have climbed rapidly, pushing some subsector averages toward six figures.
What's next: timing and capacity
Ball and industry analysts say startup is scheduled for the second half of 2026, with most production and margin gains materializing in 2027 as the line ramps, Resource Recycling reported. The timing will be watched closely by brewers and beverage brands that face tight can capacity and rising tariff pressures that have helped accelerate onshoring of production.
For Millersburg and Linn County the project brings immediate construction work and the promise of steady manufacturing payrolls, a win that local leaders have been pitching for years. Whether Oregon can turn wins like this into a sustained industrial revival will depend on follow-through on infrastructure, workforce training and the state's ability to keep projects moving from site selection to production.
