Announced Action

The Federal Trade Commission today announced the following actions. The FTC staff contact is Dan Ducore, 202-326-2526.

Applications for prior approval of transactions: The FTC has received an application for prior approval of a divestiture from the following. The application will be subject to public comment for 30 days, until April 8.

• Oerlikon Buhrle Holding AG, a German firm, has requested approval to divest its turbumolecular pump business (the Balzers-Pfeiffer business) by means of an initial public offering of 100 percent of the stock of the business. This application amplifies an earlier one, announced in a Jan. 2, 1996, news release. Divestiture of the Balzers-Pfeiffer business is required under a 1995 FTC consent order settling charges regarding Oerlikon Buhrle's acquisition of Leybold AG, which manufactured turbomolecular pumps in competition with Oerlikon Buhrle. The divestiture requirement is designed to restore competition allegedly injured by the acquisition (Docket No. C-3555).

Comments on the application should be addressed to the FTC, Office of the Secretary, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Copies of the documents referenced above are available from the FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, at the same address; 202-326-2222; TTY for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202-326-2710. FTC news releases and other materials also are available on the Internet at the FTC's World Wide Web site at: http://www.ftc.gov