Montana Tech Components AG (MTC) is the majority shareholder of Alu Menziken Holding AG with a capital stake of 52.3% since 2007. In April 2009 MTC and the representatives of the minority shareholders basically agreed to submit an exchange offer by MTC to the minority shareholders of Alu Menziken.

Offering period from November 13, until December 7, 2009
Originally the offering was scheduled in conjunction with the planned IPO of MTC in 2012 but MTC has now agreed with the representatives of the minority shareholders to launch the offering already this year. The offering period is expected to start on November 13, and end on December 7, 2009. After a successful finalisation of the exchange offer MTC intends to quote its common stocks at the OTC-X trading platform of the Berner Kantonalbank where also the shares of Alu Menziken can be traded today.

Supervisory Board and representatives of the minority shareholders recommend accepting the offer
The Supervisory Board of Alu Menziken rates the exchange offer as positive. He mandated a fairness opinion by Ernst & Young AG, Zurich, which shall confirm the appropriateness and fairness of the exchange ratio. The result is expected for the beginning of November 2009. For November 12, 2009 at 5.00pm MTC invites all shareholders of Alu Menziken to Reinach, AG for a presentation of MTC and of the details of the exchange offer.

Klaus Sernetz, CEO of MTC and President of the Supervisory Board of Alu Menziken: „The exchange offer is attractive for the shareholders of Alu Menziken, especially against the background of the current economic situation. Montana Tech Components is a well diversified company with leading market positions in interesting growth segments. We can simplify the holding and the organisational structure by carrying out the exchange offer already this year and thus create a good environment for a successful future development.“ Martin Wipfli, managing partner of Baryon AG and together with fund manager Peter J. Lehner representative of a part of the minority shareholders: „The exchange offer allows the shareholders of Alu Menziken to swap their shares at an adequate price. By accepting the offer they can then participate at the growth of the whole Montana Group of which the potential is larger than of Alu Menziken due to MTC’s diversification. I recommend the shareholders to accept the offer.“

 
Current capital increase to prepare for further investments and simplification of the capital structure
MTC prepares for expansion with several activities in the near future. Klaus Sernetz, CEO: „The current economical development implies some challenges for us – especially in the segment of industrial aluminum components but all in all we are very well positioned in our core segments thanks to our diversification. Now we would like to take the investment chances into interesting growth segments that arise out of the crises and further strengthen our market position.“ MTC therefore currently carries out a capital increase with the existing shareholders for a total volume up to CHF 27 million (EUR 18 million). The new capital shall in particular be used to support the seminal R&D projects of the MTC daughter company VARTA Microbattery GmbH with VOLKSWAGEN and with the Technical University Graz (A), as well as for further investments in the core segments of MTC. The innovative R&D projects aim at the development of future battery systems for automotive drive systems (joint venture with VW) and focus on the application-oriented research for rechargeable device batteries (corporation Graz). Furthermore MTC plans an extraordinary general assembly for December 4, 2009 to decide upon the creation of the necessary new MTC shares to realise the exchange offer with the shareholders of Alu Menziken and upon the simplification of the capital structure. The Supervisory Board will thus bring forward a motion to convert the existing bearer shares into nominal shares and to make a reverse split of 2:1.