ASTA Group Expands Head Office Plant at Oed in Lower Austria and Speeds Up Growth Trend

Reinach/Oed, September 11^th, 2015. ASTA-Group, a member of Montana Tech Components AG (MTC), takes over Brazilian PPE. With this acquisition ASTA, a leading supplier of copper wires for the high-energy market, enhances its market position in the American growth-market massively. With this acquisition the industrial group MTC is going to exceed the 1 billion Euro threshold.

“PPE is the largest producer of copper and aluminium wires in South America. With this acquisition ASTA makes a major step towards global leadership in the field of winding material for transformers and generators”, so Michael Tojner, CEO of MTC, in a first statement. „PPE is also the quality leader in its market and hence a perfect fit for our strategy: besides volume, we also work hard to differentiate ourselves qualitative and technological”.

The corresponding signing and closing of the contracts for the acquisition was effected on September 10^th. PPE Fios Esmaltados S.A., with 350 employees and a turnover of app. BRL 600 million (EUR 175 million) is the largest producer of magnetic wires in South America. The main plant is located in Cerquilho, app. 200 km northwest of Sao Paulo, a second smaller set-up is located in the southern state of Santa Catharina. PPE produces enamelled copper and aluminium wires for the energy-market and for other industries (automotive, compressors ...). PPE perfectly complements the existing product portfolio of ASTA-Group regionally as well as on the product side and strengthens the position of the company on the American growth-market.

Beside this acquisition, ASTA has invested more than EUR 20 million in expanding its plant in Austria in order to increase production capacity by 25% and enter new customer and product segments. Including PPE, ASTA will reach a turnover of app. EUR 360 million and will employ more than 900 people. Therefore the whole industrial group MTC is going to exceed the 1 billion Euro threshold.  

“The well-known ASTA-technology in combination with PPE‘s established market position in South America will give us very good synergies. Beside Brazil, Columbia and Venezuela we certainly plan to become more active in North America”, says Klaus Borstner, CEO of ASTA.

The Austrian company, which is celebrating its 200 year-anniversary next week is also planning an expansion into Southeast Asia.