Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11599 – AUNDE GROUP / TB / TBKA) – Candidate case for simplified procedure
Date: 2024-07-10
Institutions: Directorate-General for Competition, European Commission
Subjects: aircraft, economic concentration, merger control, motor car, supply, textile industry, vehicle on rails, vehicle parts








C_202404429EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2024/4429


10.7.2024






Prior notification of a concentration
(Case M.11599 – AUNDE GROUP / TB / TBKA)
Candidate case for simplified procedure
(Text with EEA relevance)
(C/2024/4429)


1.   
On 3 July 2024, 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:






—


AUNDE Achter & Ebels GmbH (‘Aunde’, Germany), controlled by the Aunde Group SE,










—


Toyota Boshoku Corporation (‘TB’, Japan),










—


TB Kawashima Co., Ltd. (‘TBKA’, Japan), currently controlled by TB.




Aunde and TB will acquire within the meaning of Articles 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of TBKA.
The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares and management contract or any other contractual means.


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






—


Aunde develops is a German company which produces under the brands Aunde, Isringhausen and Fehrer among other yarns, technical textiles and seat covers for automotive OEMs in Europe and worldwide,










—


TB is a Japanese automotive component manufacturer, which focuses on passenger car seats, seats for trains and aircrafts as well as other interior and exterior vehicle components,






3.   

TBKA is a Japanese company which focuses on the development, production and supply of various types of automotive textiles and interior fabrics particularly in Asia and the Americas.



4.   
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.


5.   
The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission.
Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:
M.11599 - AUNDE GROUP / TB / TBKA
Observations can be sent to the Commission by email or by post. Please use the contact details below:
Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu

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 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4429/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)