CELEX: 32016M7819
Language: en
Date: 2016-01-13 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 13/01/2016 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.7819 - FREUDENBERG / TORAY INDUSTRIES / JAPAN VILENE COMPANY JV) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

|[pic]                             |EUROPEAN COMMISSION                                                                                      |

                                        Brussels, 13.1.2016
                                        C(2016) 200 final

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|                                                                       |To the notifying parties:                                              |

Dear Sirs,

Subject:    Case M.7819 – FREUDENBERG / TORAY INDUSTRIES / JAPAN VILENE COMPANY JV
         Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004[1] and Article 57 of the Agreement on the
         European Economic Area[2]

 1. On 4 December 2015, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation
    by which the undertakings Freudenberg & Co. KG ("Freudenberg", Germany) and Toray Industries,  Inc.  ("Toray",  Japan)  acquire  within  the
    meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of Japan Vilene Company Ltd. ("JVC", Japan)  by  way  of  public  bid  and
    purchase of shares.[3]

 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

      – Freudenberg is active worldwide in the development, production and sale of  seals,  vibration  control  technology  components,  filters,
        nonwovens, release agents and specialty lubricants as well as mechatronics products.

      – Toray is the parent company of the Toray group, which produces  and  sells  fibers  and  textiles,  plastics  and  chemicals,  IT-related
        products, carbon fiber composite materials and products and services belonging to the area of life sciences, environment and engineering.

      – JVC manufactures and sells nonwoven materials for different applications, such as apparel, medical  and  consumer  materials,  industrial
        materials, electrical materials, filter and automotive materials.

 3. After examination of the notification, the European Commission has concluded that the notified operation  falls  within  the  scope  of  the
    Merger Regulation and of paragraph 5(a) of the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment  of  certain  concentrations  under
    Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004.[4]

 4. For the reasons set out in the Notice on a simplified procedure, the European Commission has decided not to oppose  the  notified  operation
    and to declare it compatible with the internal market and with the EEA Agreement. This decision is adopted in application of Article 6(1)(b)
    of the Merger Regulation and Article 57 of the EEA Agreement.

                                        For the Commission

                                        (signed)
                                        Johannes LAITENBERGER
                                        Director-General
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[1]   OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the "Merger Regulation"). With effect from 1 December 2009, the Treaty on the Functioning of the  European  Union
    ("TFEU") has introduced certain changes, such as the replacement of "Community" by "Union" and "common market"  by  "internal  market".  The
    terminology of the TFEU will be used throughout this decision.

[2]   OJ L 1, 3.1.1994, p. 3 (the "EEA Agreement").

[3]   Publication in the Official Journal of the European Union No C 411, 11.12.2015, p. 10.

[4]   OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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                                                                  PUBLIC VERSION

                                                           SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE