EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Competition

Case M.7819 - FREUDENBERG / TORAY INDUSTRIES / JAPAN VILENE COMPANY JV

Only the English text is available and authentic.

REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 13/01/2016

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32016M7819

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 13.1.2016 C(2016) 200 final

PUBLIC VERSION

SIMPLIFIED MERGER PROCEDURE

To the notifying parties:

Dear Sirs,

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.

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.

1OJ 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.

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

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

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.

−− 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.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

OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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