TANK-WELD Metals Limited has welcomed a Supreme Court decision placing on hold any action regarding the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) investigation into allegations made against the company by competitor ARC Manufacturing.

The Commercial Division of the court granted the stay on April 2, stating that the decision of the FTC, dated March 2026, shall not remain in force or be acted on by the FTC, “until the inter parties hearing or further order of the court”.

The decision was made after Tank-Weld made an application to the court, which has set the inter parties hearing for April 23. The court also ordered that written submissions be filed and exchanged by April 16.

The case centres on a pricing dispute between both companies relating to steel reinforcing bars, also known as rebar.

In a news release on Tuesday, Tank-Weld said the court’s decision, “provides important protection for ordinary Jamaican families, builders and contractors from the immediate risk of higher building costs”.

The company said that for 35 years it, “has kept rebar and other building materials affordable for Jamaican families, builders, and contractors in a completely open market where rebar can be imported duty-free from anywhere in the world, making any uncompetitive high pricing impossible”.

The release also quotes Tank-Weld CEO Christopher Bicknell as saying: “We are pleased that the court has stepped in to prevent immediate harm. We remain committed to serving Jamaica with fair prices and will continue to vigorously defend our position.”

Added Bicknell: “The only people who benefit if the FTC’s reasoning is upheld are less efficient companies that want higher prices; not Jamaican families trying to build or repair their homes; not small contractors trying to make a living; not the Jamaican economy.”