Forster’s 70th anniversary – an occasion to celebrate!
It is a special year for Forster: 2026, our 70th anniversary, seven decades full of innovations, artisanship, quality and constant development.
Founded in 1956 by Franz Forster at Waidhofen/Ybbs, Forster has grown from regional beginnings into an internationally successful business group. Today, notable clients in Europe and far beyond trust Forster’s expertise. Whether it is steel and aluminium products or print engineering: Forster combines artisan precision with the latest technology. Its route was sprinkled with many milestones – and even more by people who shaped Forster for generations through their commitment, know-how and fervour.
Pamela Forster, CEO of Forster Holding, guides the family business in its third generation, having taken over from Christian Forster at the start of last year. For her, the anniversary stands as a symbol for the Forster attitude: “Seventy years of Forster mean consistency, courage to develop and the endeavour to get better every day. The company has enjoyed sustainable growth for many decades, and this is what we build on for the future. This anniversary is not just an occasion to celebrate but also a moment to be grateful to all those individuals who have shaped Forster. I myself intend to continue to responsibly advance the company and ensure that we can pass it on successfully to the next generation.”
Andreas Grader, CEO of the operative Forster businesses, highlights the future direction of the company:
“We aspire at all times to tie Forster’s strong points – quality, engineering competence and reliability – to innovation. We systematically invest in modern processes, new technologies and viable solutions in order to offer our customers genuine value in the years to come. Seventy years are our bedrock from which to actively shape the future.”
Our intention is to share our anniversary with our surrounding. So please mark our open-door day on 19 September on your calendar.
You can look forward to exciting backstage views, interesting highlights and an opportunity to have a hands-on Forster experience. More details on the programme will be published in good time.
Preparations for an anniversary always call for a look back into the past. In browsing through our archives, we found a news item from our company letter regarding Forster’s 20th anniversary in 1976.
It is a historical document, full of symbols and metaphers in a way unusual today, but amazingly current in its message: Already back then, Forster was seen not as a work of single persons but as an idea that links and spans generations.
“In 20 years, many from today’s FF community will no longer work and some will be gone, but the idea will transcend people and time, because it is stronger than the passage of time. And it was Franz Forster’s idea in 1956 that granted new life to the ancient hammerworks, so that the chain of work and quest has not ruptured. New elements will be inserted, new tasks will provide new stimuli – work is life! This thought on the 20th anniversary of our enterprise is intended as a simple thank you to the past and firm promise to the future.”
What was said in 1976 continues to apply today: Forster grows with new individuals, new ideas and new challenges – from a foundation that has remained strong for 70 years.
1956: first location in Hammergasse at Waidhofen/Ybbs
2026: headquarters of Forster Group at Waidhofen/Ybbs
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