End of Year Messages from Michael Tojner and the Montana Aerospace group management
Growing Together. Shaping the Future.
Michael Tojner
majority shareholder & Chairman of the Board of Directors
“Dear Montana Aerospace employees, thank you for your outstanding commitment and dedication – together, we look back on 2025 with pride and ahead to a successful start in 2026 with confidence.”
greetings from the management
As the year comes to a close, our management team has taken the time to reflect on what we have achieved together and to look ahead to what lies in front of us. Read below our Group Managements shared thoughts on the past year and what awaits us in the year ahead.
Kai Arndt
Co-CEO Montana Aerospace
Looking Back: Key Developments That Moved Us Forward
Looking back, several important decisions and developments significantly advanced our company this year. The divestment of ASTA was a decisive strategic step, that allows us to now fully focus on the aerospace business, complemented by new financing arrangements that strengthened our financial flexibility.
On the business side, the extrusion contract with Airbus marked an important milestone, further strengthening our position with key customers. In parallel we launched several discussions on further strategic options with our customers.
Looking Ahead: Opportunities & Challenges in 2026
Looking toward 2026, the outlook for aerospace and space presents both promising opportunities and lots of challenges.
On the positive side, a visible recovery at Boeing is emerging, and the order backlogs of OEMs continue to grow, indicating sustained demand in our markets.
At the same time, risks remain. OEMs continue to deliver fewer aircraft than originally guided. Managing this gap between demand and actual output will remain a key challenge and will require flexibility and realism in our planning.
Team & Collaboration: What Enables Us to Grow Together
One of our strongest success factors as a global team is our strong discussion culture. This year, many important decisions were made with a holistic view of the company, rather than focusing on individual divisions or locations.
This ability to consider the bigger picture has been a significant step forward and creates a strong foundation for continued joint growth.
A Personal Message
One guiding principle remains especially relevant: only the paranoid survives. Complacency ultimately leads to lower performance.
Staying alert, questioning ourselves, and continuously striving to improve are essential to sustaining long-term success.
Word Rap with Kai arndt
Good collaboration means to me…
openness, clarity, honesty, and reliability.
Our greatest strength as a global team is…
that everyone can contribute their individual strengths.
It’s a successful year when…
we continue to combine the highest level of ambition with realism and drive.
I don’t start the new year without…
taking time to reflect on the many things that have happened
VIcky Welvaert
CHRO MONTANA Aerospace
Looking Back: Positive Developments in Our Culture & Collaboration
One of the most encouraging developments in 2025 has been the noticeable strengthening of collaboration across our divisions. We are increasingly acting as one MAAG team.
This is reflected in the way we share talent, knowledge, and expertise across divisions. Cross-functional teams, cross-departmental projects, the exchange of talent and experts across divisions, cross-border collaboration, the operation of the shared service center, and the global talent programs as well as trainings have further strengthened this way of working.
These collaborations enable us to learn from each other, share best practices, leverage synergies, and create sustainable growth—both professionally and culturally.
Looking Ahead: Our Focus Areas for the New Year
For the year ahead, we are setting clear priorities in the areas of Human Resources, Communication, and ESG.
Human Resources
In addition to traditional focus areas such as workforce planning, recruitment, internal development, mobility, and training, succession planning will be a key priority. Our goal is to ensure continuity and improve retention by systematically developing and growing internal talent.
At the same time, we are committed to strengthening a corporate culture in which we dare to speak up, treat each other with respect, take ownership, and collaborate constructively.
Communication
Our aim is to further connect the dots across divisions and ensure that we reach all employees with timely, transparent, and inspiring communication. Sharing best practices across divisions and celebrating successes together will remain an important part of this effort.
Our interactive Satellite Blog already plays a key role in sharing success stories and enabling us to learn from each other. Building on this, we will soon launch an integrated MAAG LinkedIn platform and a MAAG channel to keep everyone informed, connected, and engaged.
Sustainability
In the ESG area, we will focus on defining concrete and measurable targets. These targets will help us better focus our actions and make a meaningful contribution toward achieving our overarching net-zero ambitions
Motivation: A Message for the Start of the New Year
Looking ahead, I hope that everyone can start the new year with recharged batteries and continued motivation to build and grow together. Enjoying one’s work is essential—people who enjoy what they do make the greatest contribution.
I would like to encourage everyone to take full ownership of their responsibilities and to dare to speak up. If there are opportunities for improvement—of any kind—they should be raised and addressed. Only by allowing ourselves to continuously improve can we outperform and become the best we can be. That is why every voice and every idea matters.
Together, we see more. And together, we can achieve more.
A Personal Message
The results we achieve are the sum of many individual contributions. Your daily efforts matter.
Together, we can achieve great things.
Word Rap with Vicky welvaert
Good collaboration means to me…
trusting one another, communicating openly, taking responsibility, and pursuing a shared goal.
Our greatest strength as a global team is…
our diversity and complementarity.
It’s a successful year when…
we all strive toward the same objective, help each other, and collaborate constructively.
I don’t start the new year without…
gratitude for what we reached and excitement for what’s next.
MICHAEL PISTAUER
Co-CEO & CFO Montana Aerospace
Looking Back: Financial Achievements & Key Decisions in 2025
From a financial perspective, 2025 was overall a good and solid year for the company. At the same time, it was marked by significant turbulence—particularly due to the ASTA carve-out and the pending discussions with FPIM (Belgian Federal Holding & Investment Company), which required a high level of focus, discipline, and adaptability across the organization.
Successfully navigating this transition was an important contribution to our financial stability. Together with the refinancing, which secured financial stability for the next seven years, it allowed us to sharpen our strategic focus and strengthen our foundations, even in a period of uncertainty. Despite these challenges, the business remained resilient, demonstrating the strength of our financial structures and decision-making.
Looking Ahead: Targeted Investments for Sustainable Growth
Looking forward, our strategic focus is clear: all eyes are now on Aerospace. This business area will be the central pillar for our future growth.
However, this also means that we cannot afford to become complacent. The market is highly dynamic, and competition is intensifying. To grow sustainably and healthily, we will continue to invest selectively and responsibly—particularly in areas that strengthen our technological capabilities, operational excellence, and long-term competitiveness within Aerospace.
Our investments will be guided by a clear ambition: not just to maintain our position, but to actively shape the future of our markets. >>
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Resilience: Staying Economically Strong in a Challenging Market
To remain economically strong in a challenging market environment, we need one key mindset: continuous development. We cannot rely on past success or current strengths alone.
Competitors are evolving rapidly. Staying resilient means constantly questioning ourselves, improving our processes, sharpening our value proposition, and investing where it truly matters.
Financial strength comes from staying alert, adaptable, and ambitious—even when things are going well.
A Personal Message
The message is clear: a good year is something to appreciate—but never a reason to stand still.
We have a strong position, but the market does not wait. Only if we continue to push forward, challenge ourselves, and evolve together will we remain successful in the long run.
Let’s stay focused, hungry, and committed—because sustainable success requires constant momentum.
thank you
Thank you for being part of Montana Aerospace and for your continued commitment as we move into the new year. We wish everyone a restful holiday season and, to those who celebrate, a Merry Christmas, as well as a healthy, successful, and fulfilling year 2026.