Record $5 million bid rigging fine for auto parts maker

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently ordered Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd., a Japanese supplier of motor vehicle components, to pay a fine of $5 million after it pleaded guilty to participating in an international bid-rigging conspiracy. To date, this is the largest fine a court has imposed in Canada for a bid-rigging offence under the Competition Act.

Furukawa and other Japanese vehicle components manufacturers conspired to submit bids or tenders when requests for quotations were made to supply Honda with motor vehicle components. Furukawa sold various electrical boxes and junction blocks to Honda during 2000 to 2010 for the 2001 and 2006 Honda Civic models. The volume of commerce affected in Canada was about $41 million.

Furukawa participated in the Bureau’s Leniency Program.

The Bureau’s investigation continues.

For more information, read the Bureau’s press release.