CELEX: 32020M9797
Language: en
Date: 2020-05-25 00:00:00
Title: Commission Decision of 25/05/2020 declaring a concentration to be compatible with the common market (Case No COMP/M.9797 - AUNDE GROUP / TOYOTA BOSHOKU / TB KAWASHIMA AUTOMOTIVE TEXTILE (INDIA) JV) according to Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (Only the English text is authentic)

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
                                                                Brussels, 25.05.2020
                                                                C(2020) 3488 final
                                                                                 PUBLIC VERSION
                                                                To the notifying parties
Subject:         Case M.9797 — AUNDE Group/Toyota Boshoku/TB Kawashima
                 Automotive Textile (India) JV
                 Commission decision pursuant to Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation
                                       1
                 (EC) No 139/2004 and Article 57 of the Agreement on the European
                                    2
                 Economic Area
Dear Sir or Madam,
1.      On 28 April 2020, the European Commission received notification of a proposed
        concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which the
        undertakings AUNDE Achter & Ebels GmbH (Germany), belonging to AUNDE
        Group SE ("AUNDE", Germany) and TB Kawashima Co. Ltd. ("TBK", Japan)
        controlled by Toyota Boshoku Corporation ("TB", Japan) acquire within the meaning
        of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control over the whole of
        the undertaking TB Kawashima Automotive Textile (India) Private Ltd. (the "Target",
        India) by way of purchase of shares.3
2.      The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:
        −     for AUNDE Achter & Ebels GmbH: the development and production of
              automotive products, including yarns, technical fabrics, textile and leather covers.
              It is a subsidiary of Aunde, which focuses on the development and production of
              among others yarns, technical textiles, seat covers and foam parts for the
              automotive industry under the brands AUNDE, ISRINGHAUSEN and FEHRER
              for OEMs and suppliers to the automotive industry in Europe and worldwide,
        −     for TBK: the development, production and supply of various types of automotive
              textiles and interior fabrics particularly in Asia. It is an affiliate of TB, a Japanese
              automotive component manufacturer, which focuses on passenger car seats, seats
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 152, 7.5.2020, p. 3.
Commission européenne, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Bruxelles, BELGIQUE
Europese Commissie, DG COMP MERGER REGISTRY, 1049 Brussel, BELGIË
Tel: +32 229-91111. Fax: +32 229-64301. E-mail: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu.
 ---pagebreak---         for trains and aircrafts as well as on seat components and other interior and
        exterior vehicle components,
   −    for the Target: the manufacture and distribution of interior textiles and fabrics for
        the automotive industry in India and in neighbouring countries.
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)
                                                   Olivier GUERSENT
                                                   Director-General
4  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.
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