A recent ruling by Jamaica’s Supreme Court has delivered a temporary win for TANK-WELD Metals Limited, putting a halt to all enforcement actions tied to an ongoing investigation by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) into allegations brought against the company by its industry rival ARC Manufacturing.
Issued by the court’s Commercial Division on April 2, the stay order blocks the FTC from enforcing or acting on its controversial March 2026 decision related to the case until a scheduled inter-partes hearing or a new judicial directive is issued. The temporary injunction came in direct response to a judicial review application filed by Tank-Weld, which has prompted the court to schedule the full hearing for April 23. As part of procedural requirements, the court has mandated that all parties must file and exchange formal written legal submissions no later than April 16.
At the core of the legal conflict is a high-stakes pricing disagreement between the two Jamaican manufacturing firms, centered on steel reinforcing bars, more commonly referred to as rebar — a critical construction material used widely across residential and commercial building projects across the country.
In an official statement released to the public this Tuesday, Tank-Weld framed the Supreme Court’s ruling as more than a victory for the company, emphasizing that it shields ordinary Jamaican households, independent builders and local contractors from the immediate threat of skyrocketing construction costs. The firm noted that over its 35 years of operation in Jamaica, it has prioritized keeping rebar and other core building materials accessible and affordable for local communities. It added that the local rebar market operates as a fully open trading environment, where the material can be imported duty-free from any global supplier, a structure that makes sustained uncompetitive pricing impossible to maintain.
Christopher Bicknell, chief executive officer of Tank-Weld, expressed satisfaction with the court’s proactive intervention to stop immediate adverse impacts from the FTC ruling. “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,” Bicknell said in the statement.
The CEO went on to outline the broader risks of upholding the FTC’s original decision, arguing that the only beneficiaries would be less efficient industry competitors seeking to inflate prices. “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,” he added.