Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10408 – AIP / ALVANCE DUFFEL TARGET BUSINESS) Candidate case for simplified procedure (Text with EEA relevance) 2022/C 296/04
Date: 2022-08-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: aluminium, economic concentration, industrial enterprise, investment company, iron and steel industry, merger control, metallurgical industry








C_2022296EN.01000401.xml










3.8.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 296/4






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.10408 – AIP / ALVANCE DUFFEL TARGET BUSINESS)
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2022/C 296/04)

1.   
On 26 July 2022, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).
This notification concerns the following undertakings:






—


American Industrial Partners Capital Fund VII, Ltd. (Cayman), an investment fund managed by American Industrial Partners (USA) (collectively referred to as ‘AIP’),










—


ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel (Belgium).




AIP acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation control of the whole of ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.


2.   
The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:






—


AIP is a private equity firm focused on buying and improving industrial businesses. Since 2020, AIP owns Commonwealth Rolled Products, which operates an aluminium rolled products facility with activities in the United States. AIP also owns and controls since 2021 Aluminium Dunkerque, a primary aluminium producer, which operates an aluminium smelter in Loon-Plage near Dunkerque (France);










—


ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel is a European producer of aluminium flat rolled products (‘FRPs’). It operates an aluminium plant in Belgium, which produces aluminium automotive body sheets (‘ABS’), FRPs for heat exchangers (‘HEX’), and standard FRPs such as industrial aluminium coil and sheet products used in building and construction, commercial transportation and other standard.






3.   
On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.
Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.


4.   
The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.
Observations must reach the Commission no later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:
M.10408 – AIP / ALVANCE DUFFEL TARGET BUSINESS
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email, by fax, or by post. Please use the contact details below:
Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu
Fax +32 22964301
Postal address:





European Commission




Directorate-General for Competition




Merger Registry




1049 Bruxelles/Brussel




BELGIQUE/BELGIË







(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.