The European Commission fines copper fittings producers € 314.7 M for price fixing cartel (Frabo, Mueller)

"Commission fines copper fittings producers € 314.7 million for price fixing cartel"* On 20 September 2006, the European Commission fined 30 copper fittings producers a total of € 314.7 million for participating in a cartel. The 11 groups to which these 30 companies belong are Aalberts, IMI, Delta, Advanced Fluid Connections, Legris, Frabo, Mueller, Tomkins, Flowflex, Viegener and Sanha Kaimer. Between 1988 and 2004, they fixed prices, discounts and rebates, agreed on mechanisms to coordinate price increases, allocated customers and exchanged commercially important and confidential information. Four of the groups, namely Aalberts, Delta, Advanced Fluid Connections and Legris had their fines increased by 60% because they continued their illegal arrangements after the Commission’s initial