Statement Of Preliminary Issues Released For ASSA ABLOY NZ Limited / NZ Fire Doors Limited Clearance Application

The Commerce Commission (the Commission) has published a statement of preliminary issues relating to an application for clearance from ASSA ABLOY New Zealand Limited (Assa Abloy NZ) to acquire all of the shares in NZ Fire Doors Limited (NZFD).

Both Assa Abloy NZ and NZFD manufacture and supply fire-rated doors and windows to the construction industry. Fire-rated doors and windows are specially designed to act as a barrier to the spread of fire.

The statement outlines the key competition issues that the Commission considers important in deciding whether or not to grant clearance to the proposed merger.

The Commission invites interested parties to provide comments on the likely competitive effects of the proposed acquisition. Submissions can be sent by email to registrar@comcom.govt.nz with the reference “Assa Abloy NZ / NZFD” in the subject line. Parties should provide a public version of their submission at the same time for publication on the Commission’s case register. Any submissions should be received by close of business on 29 April 2021.

The Commission is currently scheduled to make a decision on the application by 28 May 2021. However, this date may be extended as the investigation progresses.

The Statement of Preliminary Issues and a public version of the application can be found on the Commission’s case register.

Background

Assa Abloy NZ is part of the Assa Abloy Group, a global manufacturer and supplier of a range of door opening products, security solutions and related services. In New Zealand, it supplies a broad range of fire-rated and non-fire-rated doors, windows and hardware, including through its subsidiaries, Pacific Doors Systems Limited (Pacific Doors), Assa Abloy Entrance Systems NZ Limited, and Placard New Zealand Pty Limited. Pacific Doors has manufacturing facilities in Wellington and Timaru.

NZFD is a New Zealand-based manufacturer and supplier of fire-rated, non-fire-rated, acoustic and specialty doors and windows. NZFD supplies fire-rated doors to construction companies, joiners and resellers from its manufacturing facility in Auckland.

We will give clearance to a proposed acquisition if we are satisfied that the acquisition is unlikely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market.

Further information explaining how the Commission assesses a merger application is available on our website.
 

© Scoop Media