The Competition Commission of Switzerland (Wettbewerbskommission, WEKO) has started an investigation into three steel trading companies, Arthur Weber, Debrunner Acifer Bewehrungen, and Spaeter, for their possibilities of violating antitrust law.

There is a suspicion that the three companies have been linking the sale of reinforcing steel bars to the purchase of spacer cages since 2021. They would have charged higher prices for reinforcing steel bars if construction companies wanted to buy spacer cages and reinforcing steel bars from different companies.

The investigation was expected to take around two years.

Reinforcing steel bars, also known as rebar, are used in concrete construction, and spacer cages are used to ensure that the distance between the reinforcements inserted into the concrete. Construction companies need the two products in concrete construction.