Commission receives clearance application from Atlas Group
The Commerce Commission has received an application from Melbourne based Atlas Group Limited seeking clearance to
acquire Southward Engineering Co Limited.
Southward is a New Zealand based manufacturer and supplier of automotive exhaust systems, light walled carbon steel and
stainless steel tubing. Southward has been operating in New Zealand since 1938. Its tube manufacturing plants are in
Auckland and Wellington, with additional distribution centres in Hamilton and Christchurch.
Atlas operates in the processing and distribution of speciality steels in Australia and New Zealand. It operates under
the brands Atlas Speciality Metals and Bisalloy Steels. Atlas has five New Zealand distributions centres located in
Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
In considering the application, the Commission's role is to determine whether the merger has the effect of substantially
lessening competition in a market.
A public version of the Atlas application will be available shortly on the Commission's website under Adjudication.