Two producers of carbon steel flanges, Weldbend Corporation and Boltex Mfg. Co., today filed petitions with the US Department of Commerce (DOC) and International Trade Commision (ITC) charging that unfairly priced and subsidized imports of carbon steel flanges from India, Spain and Italy are causing material injury to the domestic industry.
The antidumping and countervailing petitions seek the enforcement and compliance of Indian, Spanish and Italian manufacturers with US and international trade laws. Boltex and Weldbend charge that unfairly traded imports of carbon steel flanges from India, Spain, and Italy are causing material injury to the American industry of carbon steel flanges, as these foreign producers are selling their products in the American market at prices that are less than their fair value and are thereby significantly undercutting American market prices.
The countervailing duty petition also alleges that the Indian government has given significant subsidies to the Indian carbon steel flanges industry – to the severe detriment of American jobs and manufacturing.
The products covered by the petitions, carbon steel flanges, are forged rings of steel designed to join two sections of a piping system or to start a piping system from a pressure vessel, valve, or any other integrally flanged assembly.
The ITC’s preliminary injury determination is expected on August 15, 2016, and the DOC is anticipated to issue its preliminary countervailing duty determination by late September and its preliminary antidumping determinations by early December. After the issuance of DOC’s preliminary determinations, importers of covered Indian, Spanish and Italian carbon steel flanges will be required to make cash deposits in the amount of the DOC’s preliminary antidumping and countervailing duty margins. A final determination is expected within 75 days from the preliminary determinations.