A new chapter in Villmergen
Montana Stahl AG was a respected and firmly established company in Würenlingen. The business figures were so positive that nothing stood in the way of expanding the plant, although Würenlingen did not offer any scope for expansion in terms of space. When the closure of Durisol AG in Villmergen was announced in 1989, Montana seized the opportunity, merged with Durisol and took over its premises. As a result, Montana's employees were able to continue their work in modernised and spacious state-of-the-art office and production facilities from mid-1990.
The closure of Durisol AG led to the loss of 190 jobs, of which Montana was able to absorb 40 and take on the Durisol employees. 70 of them came with us from Würenlingen and 35 new employees were hired. A social plan was drawn up for the employees who were unable to relocate.
The move caused unrest in Würenlingen, as a letter to the editor from a resident in the Würenlingen Bulletin showed. In it, he expressed his anger that "they" had simply let Montana move.
In Villmergen, Montana turned the existing grey buildings into a modern and colourful production hall, which was also extended by over 150 metres.
A 110-metre indoor running track for the Freiamt athletics club was also installed in this extended production hall. The idea came from a coach who was himself employed by Montana. The director at the time, Kurt Kaufmann, agreed without hesitation, and Montana made a significant contribution to the promotion of athletics in the region by building this track - largely at its own expense. As a result, the 200 athletes were now able to complete their winter training and bad weather training indoors.
To celebrate the successful relocation and the new start in Villmergen, Montana organised a big inauguration party in August 1991. Customers, employees, suppliers, business partners, shareholders, representatives of the municipality and the canton as well as neighbours were invited. The celebration lasted two days and offered a variety of activities, including a large festival hall, a sound and vision show, tours and even a press conference.
Both the move to Villmergen and the adaptation of the company name and logo were the subject of much discussion. There were several reasons for these changes: In the 1980s, Montana increasingly began processing aluminium, which meant that the original company name "Montana Stahl AG" was no longer appropriate. Due to the relocation and the expansion of the sales spectrum "Everything from a single source", the introduction of a new technology department and the addition of further accessories, "Montana Bausysteme AG" seemed more appropriate.
Even the old logo with the two hammers no longer related to the modern production of rolling machines. In addition, Montana was increasingly developing into a provider of complete construction systems in the ancillary trade. The new logo, designed by the Frey graphic design office in Baden, now represented one of the company's products: a trapezoidal profile.
Since 1990, Montana has been firmly rooted in Villmergen and anchored locally. Over the following years, numerous renovations and conversions were carried out. In 2008, the extension of the Montasüd hall was completed, which also involved a redesign of the car park and lorry access situation. In 2023, the company's own PV system was installed and commissioned on the roof of the Montana production facility. This marks a significant step towards becomingCO2-neutral by 2030. In this way, Montana will continue to endeavour to make the best possible use of the available space in order to offer customers the best possible service.