Arc Manufacturing files lawsuit against Tank-Weld over rebar pricing
Published:Sunday | November 30, 2025 | 12:07 AMNeville Graham - Business Reporter
Arc Manufacturing Limited has filed a lawsuit against Tank-Weld Metals Limited, accusing Jamaica’s largest steel distributor of abusing its dominant position in the rebar market through predatory pricing practices that allegedly crippled ARC’s competitiveness.
Tank-Weld has dismissed the allegations as being without merit, saying it’s not the first time that Arc has made such claims against it.
The current claim, lodged at the Supreme Court on November 13, alleges that Tank-Weld sold rebar below its acquisition, variable, and replacement costs over sustained periods between 2019 and 2025, in breach of Section 20(1) of the Fair Competition Act.
Arc contends that this conduct was calculated to eliminate competition and force the claimant into financial distress.
Arc Manufacturing, based in Kingston, is a manufacturer and distributor of building materials, including cement, plyboard, and reinforcing steel bars, otherwise called rebars. Tank-Weld Metals Limited, also based in Kingston, is Jamaica’s largest importer and distributor of metal products, commanding what Arc describes as “an entrenched dominant position” in the rebar market.
According to the court claim, Tank-Weld’s market share exceeded 75 per cent at points between 2024 and 2025, while ARC’s share fell to as low as 25 per cent.
“The defendant occupies a position of economic strength that has enabled it to operate without effective constraints,” the claim states.
Arc Manufacturing also alleges that Tank-Weld retaliated whenever Arc sought to import rebar independently, by slashing prices below cost to force Arc back into dependency. The claim details instances where Tank-Weld sold rebar at prices of up to US$39.74 per metric tonne below cost in August 2024 and US$34.76 below cost in September 2024. Arc says these tactics were repeated over several years, undermining its ability to compete.
The lawsuit alleges that Tank-Weld’s actions were “deliberate, systematic, and designed to discipline or eliminate competition”, citing cycles of price wars that compelled Arc to sell at a loss to retain customers. Between December 2024 and September 2025, Arc said it sold rebar at losses ranging from US$16.32 to US$111.45 per tonne, resulting in severe financial harm.
The company has asked the court to: make a declaration that Tank-Weld holds a dominant position and abused it through predatory pricing; impose an injunction restraining Tank-Weld from selling rebar below cost. It is also seeking general damages for loss of profits, business disruption, and reputational harm; special damages totalling almost $2.18 billion, inclusive of loss profit of $2.136 billion; and exemplary damages, interest and legal costs.
Tank-Weld is being represented by Dr Lloyd Barnett and the law firm Hart Muirhead Fatta.
Arc Manufacturing’s representative, MayhewLaw, led by attorneys Symone Mayhew, KC and Ashley Mair, argue that Tank-Weld acted “in bad faith and with conscious indifference to the harm caused”, calculating that profits from reduced competition would outweigh any liability.
Tank-Weld, meanwhile, has dismissed the lawsuit as “completely without merit”, describing Arc’s allegations as misconceived and based on “incorrect data and misinterpretation of the Fair Competition Act”.
“This is not the first time Arc has made such allegations,” Tank-Weld said in a statement issued on November 18. “Similar complaints in 2000 and 2009 were found to be without merit. We have no doubt this claim will suffer the same fate,” the company said.
“Tank-Weld has confidence in the strength of its defence and it will be vigorously contested in court,” it added.
A date for the hearing is to be set.
In the cases referenced by Tank-Weld, Arc challenged Tank-Weld’s pricing strategies in 2000 over roofing and nails, and rebar pricing in 2009. Both complaints were dismissed as lacking merit after regulatory review.