DOC determines unfair foreign TTR pricing

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has issued a preliminary ruling that foreign-produced wax and wax/resin thermal transfer ribbons (TTR) are being sold at unfairly low prices in the United States. The DOC has determined that duties should be imposed on future imports from Japan and France to relieve the impact of dumping on US producers.

The anti-dumping petition was filed with the DOC and the US International Trade Commission (ITC) by IIMAK in May 2003. In July 2003, the DOC began its preliminary investigation when the ITC issued a preliminary determination that these imports have materially injured the U.S. wax and wax/resin TTR industry.

'Today's decision vindicates IIMAK's initial petition and puts the domestic industry on a more level playing field with offshore TTR producers,' says Dick Marshall, CEO of IIMAK. 'Dumping by foreign competition has injured the US wax and wax/resin TTR industry. Both US manufacturers and resellers should be delighted to see an end to these illegal pricing practices which have undermined investments in our industry over the last several years.'

The DOC ruling estimates anti-dumping duty rates for each of the respondent countries. US Customs will begin collecting a bond to cover these duties on all affected TTR imports. The DOC will direct an anti-dumping margin of 147.3 per cent on imports from DNP and Union Chemicar from Japan, and 106.6 per cent on all other Japanese imports. Imports from Armor (France) will be subject to antidumping margins of 60.6 per cent and 44.93 per cent on all other French imports. Duties will be assessed for 90 days retroactive to the Federal Register publication on imports from DNP and Union Chemicar.

The DOC calculated an antidumping margin of 1.27 per cent for ITW Thermal Films' imports from Republic of Korea. Under DOC regulations, this is a de minimus margin level and therefore will not require a bond. However, IIMAK remains confident that this margin will increase in the final determination when a series of additional ITW data filings, including a recently initiated cost analysis, are appropriately included in the DOC calculations.

Finally, the DOC also requested further comments as to whether the country of coating confers the origin of TTR. This is significant in that it pre-empts potential circumvention of duties through the establishment of slitting/converting operations in countries unaffected by the dumping order. Final determinations by the DOC and ITC are expected by the mid 2004.

For background information on the petition raised by IIMAK,click here.