MONTANA AEROSPACE - AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING

In April 2022, Montana Aerospace acquired aircraft parts manufacturer, Asco. The acquisition has strengthened the business portfolio as well as its geographical footprint.

Although acquisition isn’t currently a priority for Montana Aerospace, the business will continue to explore opportunities in the market, from both a geographical and product perspective.

Naturally, with business growth should come the adoption of more personnel. Kai foresees the need for the business to grow from its existing 7,000 to 10,000 employees.

“Like most industries, post-pandemic we are facing a labour shortage. We already require an additional 500 colleagues in Romania within the next year to meet demand,” shared Kai, “because of the nature of our business it is crucial to have skilled labour. We’re investing a lot of time into training and development, which will be one of our focusses over the next 12 months”.

The Key to Leadership

When it comes to his colleagues, Kai has the ability to relate, having worked his way from apprentice to management whilst at his previous employer, Airbus.

“I believe the ability to talk to people and to understand their problems is in my DNA, but of course, it does help that I’ve been in their position, too,” said Kai, “having the opportunity at Montana Aerospace to visit our many facilities and meet with our culturally diverse employees has also benefited my leadership style”.

“Of the key competencies, a leader should be able to listen. Then, the challenge is to onboard colleagues into the strategy. However, having a truly diverse leadership team means that our strategy is filled with different perspectives and is essentially bullet proof” he continued.

Having previously worked for Airbus, a customer of Montana Aerospace, for 30 years, Kai knows the business inside out.

“From my own experience as a customer, I always knew that Montana Aerospace was synonymous with quality and reliability. An offer came to me at the right time, and I was attracted by the business’ concept and vision. I was really enamoured by how the business has created an entrepreneurial spirit within an industrial environment, it’s really, really cool,” explained Kai.

Combatting the Turbulence Ahead

Despite the outlook for Montana Aerospace clearly being very positive, Kai acknowledged that the business isn’t immune to the challenges faced by most industries.

As well as labour shortages, the global energy prices and material shortage is a