Who was sanctioned, and for what?

The Autorité de la concurrence (French Competition Authority) sanctioned two vertical price agreements in the distribution of low-voltage electrical equipment: Schneider Electric with the wholesalers Rexel and Sonepar (13 December 2012 to 6 September 2018) and Legrand with Rexel (24 May 2012 to 14 September 2015). Through the system of so-called “dérogations”, i.e. special discounts granted by the manufacturers on the standard purchase price for particular end customers, the distributors’ prices to those customers were in effect fixed. Fines: Schneider Electric 207 million, Rexel 124 million, Sonepar 96 million and Legrand 43 million EUR.

Authority / court

Autorité de la concurrence

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

Art. L. 420-1 Code de commerce; Art. 101 Abs. 1 AEUV

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

under appeal

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Employees

10,000 or more

Published

30 Oct 2024

Checked against the official source on 7 Oct 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

According to the KFTC (Korea Fair Trade Commission, Korea's competition authority), six manufacturers and distributors of printing paper fixed in advance the winning bidder, cover bidders and bid prices in six tenders issued by the publisher Nongmin News Corp. between June 2021 and November 2024; the average winning bid rate was around 96.2%, compared with 87.6% in 2018 to 2020. The KFTC issued corrective orders, imposed fines totalling KRW 3,009 million (Moorim SP KRW 59 million, Moorim Paper KRW 573 million, Moorim P&P KRW 948 million, Hansol Paper KRW 556 million, Hankuk Paper KRW 515 million, Hongwon Paper KRW 358 million).

Authority / court

Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC)

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

Art. 40 Abs. 1 Nr. 8 MRFTA (Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Published

9 Sep 2026

Original amount 3,009,000,000 KRW, converted at the ECB reference rate of 9 Sep 2026.

Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link

Between March 2023 and March 2025, the Ohio manufacturer of presses for beverage can ends (nine employees) supplied, in ten instances, spare parts for aluminium forming tools worth around 264,700 USD – partly via the UAE and Turkey – without a licence to a Russian customer whose group also supplies defence precursors. In two instances, the company acted with knowledge of the violation; it admitted the allegations, which were brought by the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Export control and dual-use goods

Legal basis

Export Administration Regulations, § 746.8(a)(5) (HTS-Codes Supplement No. 4 to Part 746), §§ 764.2(a), 764.2(e)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Employees

Under 50

Mitigating circumstances

Full cooperation; compliance programme subsequently expanded with screening, an approval process and additional export control training

Published

24 Aug 2026

Original amount 1,000,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 24 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In eight instances in 2019–2021, the Italian subsidiary Dini Argeo supplied weighing equipment worth around 121,500 USD to a trader in the UAE, although it knew that the goods would be passed on to a former direct Iranian customer. The parent company had passed on the Iran ban only by an English-language e-mail without explanation; the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) considered it a non-egregious, voluntarily self-disclosed case.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Breaches of sanctions and embargoes

Legal basis

Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, § 560.215 (Auslandstöchter von US-Personen)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Culpability

negligent

Repeat case

no

Mitigating circumstances

Voluntary self-disclosure, immediate internal investigation, low significance for turnover, no prior violations, cooperation; subsequent training of the subsidiary's employees and screening of traders

Published

12 Aug 2026

Original amount 60,764 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 12 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The Taiwanese LED manufacturer and its Texas subsidiary allegedly transshipped LEDs made in China via Taiwan from 2018 to 2022 and declared them to US customs as being of Taiwanese origin in order to avoid Section 301 tariffs (US punitive tariffs on Chinese goods); in addition, Chinese and Taiwanese chips were not kept separate in production until 2025. The settlement of 5.15 million USD resolves a whistleblower lawsuit brought by a former employee, who receives around 876,000 USD.

Authority / court

U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Maryland (Department of Justice) mit U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Customs

Legal basis

False Claims Act; Tariff Act of 1930 (Vergleich; Haftung nicht festgestellt)

Action

Other

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Published

5 Aug 2026

Original amount 5,150,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 5 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Over an extended period before November 2022, Airbus Operations Ltd breached the Export Control Order 2008: transfers of controlled technology under three open general export licences (OGEL) were not correctly documented, required registers were missing, and one individual licence was not complied with. The case came to light through voluntary disclosure and was concluded by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by way of a compound settlement (date of publication).

Authority / court

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) / Export Control Joint Unit

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Export control and dual-use goods

Legal basis

Export Control Order 2008, Art. 29(2) und 29(3) (Auflagen und Register bei OGELs) sowie Auflage einer SIEL; Straftaten nach Art. 38(1)(a) und (b); Compound Settlement durch HMRC

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Employees

10,000 or more

Mitigating circumstances

Voluntary disclosure, full cooperation, remedial measures

Published

30 Jul 2026

Original amount 6,409,388 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 30 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In July 2020 a farmer on a dairy farm in County Limerick was fatally injured by a pneumatically operated milking parlour gate designed and manufactured by Dairymaster. The company pleaded guilty to six counts; the court imposed €200,000 each for breaches of s. 16(3) and s. 16(1)(a) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (duties of designers and manufacturers), totalling €400,000, with the remaining counts taken into consideration.

Authority / court

Limerick Circuit Criminal Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Authority)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

s. 16(1)(a), 16(3) i. V. m. s. 77(2)(a), 77(9)(a) Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Published

28 Jul 2026

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

From 2016 to 2022, three distributors of test and measuring equipment coordinated discounts as essential price components and informed each other of customer contacts, usually with a request for "restraint". This was evidenced by more than 400 emails; the proceedings ended in settlements.

Authority / court

Bundeskartellamt

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

§ 1 GWB

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Mitigating circumstances

Settlement; cooperation by Elektronik-Kontor Messtechnik taken into account

Published

15 Jul 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

During a Christmas lights event at the factory shop in Hanley in November 2024, an unsecured artificial snow machine fell from a window; shards of glass injured a twelve-year-old girl on the head. The ceramics manufacturer had not assessed the risks and, contrary to the manufacturer's instructions, had not secured the machine; fine of 266,666 GBP plus 4,931 GBP in costs. According to its annual accounts (financial year to April 2025), the company had an average of 345 employees.

Authority / court

Birmingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Regulation 10(1) Work at Height Regulations 2005; Section 3(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Employees

250 to 999

Published

7 Jul 2026

Original amount 266,666 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 6 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

In cartel proceedings, the CADE Tribunal fined ten suppliers of electronic products, while the signatories of a 2014 leniency agreement (Agilent and Keysight) and one company that had fulfilled a settlement were not sanctioned. The fines on the companies initially totalled 8,362,138.05 BRL; in the virtual deliberation procedure the plenary, deciding on motions for clarification (embargos) on 17 August 2026, reduced of its own motion the fines on Datasonic (from 4,329,605.69 to 856,937.12 BRL) and D.T.I. (from 1,021,750.18 to 265,406.99 BRL), leaving 4,133,126.29 BRL. The session minutes do not identify the market concerned. The amount and the facts have not been confirmed against the primary source.

Authority / court

Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE), Tribunal Administrativo

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

Lei nº 12.529/2011

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

reduced

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Liability of senior managers

Measures against individuals are not set out here.

Published

8 Jul 2026

Original amount 4,133,126.29 BRL, converted at the ECB reference rate of 1 Jul 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

An explosion and fire at a heated mixer machine at Stars Engrg Pte Ltd's Tuas worksite on 24 February 2021 killed three workers and injured seven; the company was fined a total of SGD 500,000 under the Workplace Safety and Health Act. According to investigations by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM, Singapore's labour ministry) and an inquiry committee, the machine had been kept running despite repeated warning signs such as overheating, oil leaks, smoke and a fire shortly beforehand, and there were failures in risk assessment, safe work procedures, maintenance, supervision and training. After the incident, messages significant to the investigation were also deleted.

Authority / court

Ministry of Manpower (MOM); Verurteilung durch ein Singapurer Strafgericht

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Workplace Safety and Health Act 2006 (WSHA); Penal Code (Behinderung der Justiz, gegen Einzelpersonen)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Liability of senior managers

Measures against individuals are not set out here.

Published

25 Jun 2026

Original amount 500,000 SGD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 25 Jun 2026.

Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link

BaFin imposed fines on the battery manufacturer because it had not disclosed inside information without delay and had not published the half-yearly financial report for the 2024 financial year.

Authority / court

Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)

Area of law

Capital markets and financial supervision · Disclosure and reporting obligations

Legal basis

Art. 17 Abs. 1 UAbs. 1 MAR; § 115 Abs. 1 Satz 1 WpHG

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Published

1 Jul 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Økokrim (Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime) issued an industrial company producing silicon carbide with a penalty notice of NOK 18,000,000 for breaches of the Pollution Control Act (forurensningsloven) and for giving incorrect information to Miljødirektoratet (Norwegian Environment Agency). In Økokrim's view, the air emission measurements in 2021 were not representative because, among other things, production was lower during the measurement campaigns; this created a risk that considerably more of the carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene was emitted than permitted. The company has accepted the penalty notice.

Authority / court

Økokrim

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Forurensningsloven (Umweltschutzgesetz); falsche Angaben gegenüber Miljødirektoratet

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Culpability

intentional

Liability of senior managers

According to Økokrim, managers took the decisions on the non-representative measurements knowing that they would not reflect actual emissions.

Published

18 Jun 2026

Original amount 18,000,000 NOK, converted at the ECB reference rate of 18 Jun 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

Siemens Gamesa was fined £600,000 and ordered to pay £7,980.80 in costs. At the blade factory in Hull on 18 July 2024, a prefabricated component weighing around 800 kg fell onto an employee after support poles had been removed; she has since been paralysed from the waist down. The Health and Safety Executive found inadequate risk assessment, no safe system of work and insufficient training.

Authority / court

Grimsby Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Mitigating circumstances

Guilty plea; after the accident the supports were secured with a key-controlled system.

Published

26 May 2026

Original amount 600,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 May 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The Californian manufacturer of PVA brushes for wafer cleaning sold goods worth around 400,000 USD on 18 occasions between 2021 and 2024 via two Chinese distributors to SMIC Beijing and SMIC North, both on the Entity List (the US export control list of restricted parties). The company had no formal export compliance rules; the penalty of 1.7 million USD is suspended for one year owing to limited ability to pay and will be waived if training and an internal audit are completed on time.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Export control and dual-use goods

Legal basis

Export Administration Regulations, 15 C.F.R. § 764.2(a), § 744.11

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Culpability

negligent

Mitigating circumstances

Payment suspended owing to demonstrated limited ability to pay; deliveries stopped after notification by BIS (Bureau of Industry and Security).

Published

14 Apr 2026

Original amount 1,700,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 13 Apr 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Direct link

From 13 May 2015 to 20 November 2023, Nexans granted companies of the Sonepar group exclusive rights to import Nexans cables into La Réunion, Mayotte, French Guiana, Martinique and Guadeloupe, which Art. L. 420-2-1 of the Code de commerce (French Commercial Code) prohibits for the overseas territories. In a settlement procedure the Autorité de la concurrence (French Competition Authority) imposed EUR 3 million on Nexans France (jointly with Nexans SA) and EUR 3.5 million on the Sonepar companies involved, EUR 6.5 million in total. It is the authority’s first decision based on a report by a person with protected whistleblower status.

Authority / court

Autorité de la concurrence

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

Art. L. 420-2-1 Code de commerce; Vergleichsverfahren nach Art. L. 464-2 III Code de commerce

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

under appeal

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Mitigating circumstances

Settlement procedure (transaction): the companies did not contest the objections.

Published

2 Apr 2026

Checked against the official source on 2 Oct 2026 · Direct link

In August 2024 two employees of the Leeds plastics fabricator lost parts of fingers within ten days – one on an unguarded sanding machine, the other on a table saw. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive, Britain's workplace safety regulator) found inadequate guarding, insufficient saw training, no safe systems of work and no suitable risk assessment; fine of 16,000 GBP plus 6,534 GBP in costs for the business, which had 17 employees according to its annual accounts.

Authority / court

Leeds Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Regulation 3(1) Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Employees

Under 50

Published

26 Mar 2026

Original amount 16,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 26 Mar 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

In June 2024 timber kicked back from an inadequately guarded stack saw at the Gisborne sawmill and seriously injured a worker's arm; seven weeks later another worker was crushed between two forklifts and suffered spinal and pelvic fractures. WorkSafe (New Zealand's workplace health and safety regulator) found systemic failings in machine guarding, risk assessment, traffic management, training and maintenance; the company had not notified the first incident and had not acted on earlier formal directions to fix the risks. On 18 March 2026 the Gisborne District Court imposed a fine of 601,250 NZD and 100,754 NZD in reparation.

Authority / court

Gisborne District Court (Anklage: WorkSafe New Zealand)

Area of law

Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents

Legal basis

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, ss 36(1)(a), 48(1), 48(2)(c)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Published

30 Mar 2026

Original amount 601,250 NZD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 18 Mar 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

Manufacturers and suppliers of copper and aluminium cables coordinated a common calculation of the metal surcharge, which makes up a significant part of the final price; an industry association acted as facilitator. The Protimonopolný úrad Slovenskej republiky (Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic, PMÚ SR) imposed a total of 97,434,800 EUR, the highest amount in a single proceeding; two leniency applicants were not fined (not final). Addressees: ELKOND HHK, a.s.; VUKI a.s.; Prysmian Kablo s.r.o.; Prysmian Kabely, s.r.o.; Kablo Vrchlabí s.r.o.; NKT s.r.o.; PRECON s.r.o.; Tele–Fonika Kabely CZ s.r.o.; KABELOVNA KABEX a. s.; Asociace výrobců kabelů a vodičů ČR a SR (leniency applicants without a fine: ICS Industrial Cables Slovakia, PRAKAB).

Authority / court

Protimonopolný úrad Slovenskej republiky (PMÚ SR)

Area of law

Competition law · Cartels and collusion

Legal basis

Slowakisches Wettbewerbsschutzgesetz (Kartellverbot)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Culpability

intentional

Published

11 Mar 2026

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In 2021 and 2022, Applied Materials and its Korean subsidiary exported ion implanters for semiconductor manufacturing worth around 126 million USD via Korea without a licence to a Chinese company placed on the Entity List in 2020. The penalty imposed by the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) corresponds to twice the transaction value and thus the statutory maximum; the compliance staff and executives responsible are no longer with the company.

Authority / court

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)

Area of law

Sanctions and export control · Export control and dual-use goods

Legal basis

Export Administration Regulations (Entity List)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Employees

10,000 or more

Liability of senior managers

According to BIS, the responsible compliance staff and senior executives from sales and production are no longer employed.

Published

12 Feb 2026

Original amount 252,500,300 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 11 Feb 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link