FTC CHALLENGES PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF INEOS’S SODIUM SILICATE BUSINESSES BY CARLYLE PARTNERS
On June 30, 2008, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), in a 4-0 vote, issued a complaint against the proposed acquisition of INEOS Group Limited (“INEOS”) by Carlyle Partners IV (“Carlyle”). INEOS is the third largest sodium silicate producer and seller in the highly concentrated Midwest region of the United States. PQ Corporation (“PQ”), owned by Carlyle Partners IV, is the largest sodium silicate producer. According to the FTC, the proposed transaction is anticompetitive and in violation of antitrust laws. In the complaint, the FTC contends that PQ has 50 percent of the sodium silicate market while INEOS has 12 percent. Because there is not a close substitute of sodium silicate, which has high transportation costs, other products will not constrain pricing.
