US: A US court has fined Argos USA US$20m for violations of antitrust rules between 2011 and 2016 with regards to the ready-mixed concrete market. The subsidiary of Columbia-based Cementos Argos subsidiary has admitted to collusion with another ready-mix producer. The US Department of Justice says that the companies coordinated price rises, submitted collusive non-competitive bids to customers, allocated markets in Southern Georgia and elsewhere and charged fuel surcharges and environmental fees.
Argos says the conspiracy was committed by, “a small number of former employees of a small, local sales office” that joined Argos when it acquired another company, according to Reuters. It added that its management “did not participate in or condone the conduct, which was undertaken in contravention of company compliance policies.”