The German Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt) has handed down fines totaling €453,000 to three major distributors of high-quality testing and measuring equipment following a six-year price-fixing conspiracy. The penalised companies—Berlin-based CalPlus GmbH, Heilbronn-based Elektronik-Kontor Messtechnik GmbH, and Bünde-based TVW Meßtechnik GmbH—used a coordinated email system to systematically eliminate price competition and inflate costs for industrial and public sector buyers.
According to Andreas Mundt, the President of the Federal Cartel Office, the three distributors colluded on discounts and other key pricing components between 2016 and 2022. The primary objective of their secret agreements was to artificially limit price competition and enforce higher final sales prices on highly specialized equipment used for the precise measurement, testing, and calibration of technical systems.
To run the scheme smoothly, the companies established a structured system for exchanging sensitive customer information. Whenever one of the distributors made initial contact with a potential client or hosted a product demonstration, they would immediately notify their two competitors via email. These messages detailed the client’s identity, location, and specific product requests, usually concluding with a direct plea to let them secure the sale without interference: “Please refrain from contacting us.” During the antitrust investigation, investigators secured more than 400 of these incriminating emails.
The conspiracy heavily impacted a wide array of high-profile buyers. The client base for these specialized devices includes major industrial corporations alongside vital public sector entities such as universities, research institutions, local police authorities, and the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). The cartel office stressed that public procurement relies entirely on functioning, open competition to spend public funds economically, noting that taxpayer money ultimately absorbed the artificial price markup.
The investigation was first set in motion in May 2022 after an industry whistleblower tipped off the authorities, leading to coordinated raids and the seizure of internal company evidence. In calculating the final penalties, the cartel office reduced the fine for Elektronik-Kontor Messtechnik GmbH to reward the company for its active cooperation during the antitrust probe. Ultimately, all three distributors agreed to resolve the proceedings through an amicable settlement, making the €453,000 in total fines legally binding.