DLA Piper advises Montana Aerospace on acquisition of ASCO Industries

DLA Piper has advised Montana Aerospace AG, a manufacturer of complex lightweight components and structures for the aerospace industry listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, and its operating subsidiaries on the acquisition of ASCO Industries (ASCO). With the acquisition of ASCO, Montana Aerospace will further strengthen its competences in product design, testing and manufacturing of hard metal components and assemblies for wing and fuselage structures. Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

ASCO is a leading supplier and development partner of high-end components and structures for the Aerospace industry out of four locations in Belgium, Germany, the United States and Canada with around 1,200 employees.

Montana Aerospace is a leading producer of system components and complex assemblies for the aerospace industry, with worldwide engineering and manufacturing operations. The company has approximately 5,000 employees at 28 locations on four continents – designing, developing and producing ground-breaking technologies for the aerospace, e-mobility and energy industries.

For Montana Aerospace this is the first acquisition as part of the company’s growth strategy after its very successful initial public offering (IPO) on the SIX Swiss Exchange in May 2021, on which a DLA Piper team led by partner Roland Maaß advised the company as issuer's counsel. Prior to this, the DLA Piper team also advised microbattery producer VARTA AG and special packaging manufacturer Aluflexpack AG, both majority-held by the Montana Tech Components Group, on their respective IPO’s.

For the acquisition of ASCO, the DLA Piper team was led by partners Dr Roland Maaß (Capital Markets, Frankfurt) and Koen Selleslags (Corporate, Antwerp). The international team further included partners Semin O (Antitrust, Frankfurt), Gerald Schumann (Corporate/M&A), Dr Thilo von Bodungen (Commercial, both Munich), Dr Burkhard Führmeyer (IPT, Frankfurt), Pascal Kremp (Employment), Lars Reubekeul (Real Estate, both Munich), Derek Sigel (Toronto), Daniel Belostock (both Corporate/M&A, New Yersey), counsel Dr Thilo Streit (Public Commercial Law, Cologne), Miray Kavruk (IPT), Sergej Bräuer (both Frankfurt), Dr Enno Ahlenstiel (both Antitrust, Cologne), Dr Susanne Weckbach (Commercial, Munich), senior associates Fauve Vander Schelden (Antwerp), Hanna Lütkens (both Corporate), Georg Haberkorn (Employment), Michael Georg Ziegaus, Philipp Moser (both Real Estate, all Munich) and associates Theresa Schenk (Corporate), Alexander Rösch (Antitrust, both Frankfurt), Felisa Frey (Employment, Munich), Grace Latimer and Patrick Toolan (both Corporate, New Jersey). 

Renate Krenn was responsible for the transaction in-house at Montana Aerospace on the legal side.