EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG Competition

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REGULATION (EC) No 139/2004 MERGER PROCEDURE

Article 6(1)(b) NON-OPPOSITION Date: 30/10/2020

In electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32020M9954

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 30.10.2020 C(2020) 7641 final

PUBLIC VERSION

To the notifying parties

Dear Sir or Madam,

1.On 6 October 2020, the European Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of the Merger Regulation by which Sumitomo Corporation (“Sumitomo”, Japan) and AAR CORP. (“AAR”, USA) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of AAR Sumisho Aviation Services LLC (the “JV”, USA). The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares in a newly created company constituting a joint venture.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

— for Sumitomo: a trading and investment company active in various sectors, such as the trading of metal products, transportation and construction of systems, environment and infrastructure, media, network and lifestyle related products, mineral resources, energy, chemicals and electronics;

— for AAR: a diversified provider of products and services to worldwide aviation, government and defence markets through its two business segments: (i) Aviation Services; and (ii) Expeditionary Services;

— for the JV: The joint venture will distribute aircraft parts and offer aviation logistics management solutions to the Japanese defense market, and distribute parts from Original Equipment Manufacturers based in Japan to the global aviation aftermarket.

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 342, 14.10.2020, p. 34.

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.

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) Olivier GUERSENT Director-General

4OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

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