Antidumping: Mexico,
[Federal Register: May 20, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 97)]
[Notices]
[Page 35476-35478]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20my02-31]
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-201-822]
Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils from Mexico: Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative Review
AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative Review.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (the Department) has received information sufficient to warrant initiation of a changed circumstances administrative review of the antidumping duty order on stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from Mexico (64 FR 40560 (July 27, 1999)). On March 19, 2002, ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V., formerly Mexinox S.A. de C.V., informed the Department of its corporate name change effective February 25, 2002, and requested that the Department initiate and conduct an expedited changed circumstances review. Based on information provided in its March 19, 2002 letter, we preliminarily determine that ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. is the successor firm to Mexinox S.A. de C.V.
Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 20, 2002.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deborah Scott or Robert James, AD/CVD Enforcement, Group III, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230, telephone: (202) 482- 2657 or (202) 482-0649, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Applicable Statute and Regulations
Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Tariff Act) are references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective date of the amendments made to the Tariff Act by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. In addition, unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Department's regulations are to the regulations codified at 19 CFR part 351 (2001).
Background
On July 27, 1999, the Department published the antidumping duty order on stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from Mexico. See Notice of Amended Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Antidumping Duty Order; Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils From Mexico, 64 FR 40560 (July 27, 1999). In a March 19, 2002 letter to the Department, ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. requested that the Department initiate and conduct an expedited changed circumstances administrative review pursuant to section 751(b) of the Tariff Act to determine whether it is the successor-in-interest to Mexinox S.A. de C.V. for purposes of the antidumping duty order on stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from Mexico, and to issue preliminary results concurrently with the notice of initiation, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii). In its request, ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V., formerly Mexinox S.A. de C.V., notified the Department that effective February 25, 2002, its corporate name had changed to ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V., and despite this change in corporate name, the management, production facilities, supplier relationships, and customer base are identical to those of the former Mexinox S.A. de C.V. Citing the Department's determination in Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils from the Republic of Korea: Notice of Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 66 FR 67513 (December 31, 2001) (S4 from Korea Changed Circumstances Review), ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. claimed the Department should determine that it is the successor-in-interest to Mexinox S.A. de C.V.
Scope of the Review
For purposes of this administrative review, the products covered are certain stainless steel sheet and strip in coils. Stainless steel is an alloy steel containing, by weight, 1.2 percent or less of carbon and 10.5 percent or more of chromium, with or without other elements. The subject sheet and strip is a flat-rolled product in coils that is greater than 9.5 mm in width and less than 4.75 mm in thickness, and that is annealed or otherwise heat treated and pickled or otherwise descaled. The subject sheet and strip may also be further processed (e.g., cold-rolled, polished, aluminized, coated, etc.) provided that it maintains the specific dimensions of sheet and strip following such processing.
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The merchandise subject to this order is classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) at subheadings: 7219.13.00.31, 7219.13.00.51, 7219.13.00.71, 7219.13.00.81, 7219.14.00.30, 7219.14.00.65, 7219.14.00.90, 7219.32.00.05, 7219.32.00.20, 7219.32.00.25, 7219.32.00.35, 7219.32.00.36, 7219.32.00.38, 7219.32.00.42, 7219.32.00.44, 7219.33.00.05, 7219.33.00.20, 7219.33.00.25, 7219.33.00.35, 7219.33.00.36, 7219.33.00.38, 7219.33.00.42, 7219.33.00.44, 7219.34.00.05, 7219.34.00.20, 7219.34.00.25, 7219.34.00.30, 7219.34.00.35, 7219.35.00.05, 7219.35.00.15, 7219.35.00.30, 7219.35.00.35, 7219.90.00.10, 7219.90.00.20, 7219.90.00.25, 7219.90.00.60, 7219.90.00.80, 7220.12.10.00, 7220.12.50.00, 7220.20.10.10, 7220.20.10.15, 7220.20.10.60, 7220.20.10.80, 7220.20.60.05, 7220.20.60.10, 7220.20.60.15, 7220.20.60.60, 7220.20.60.80, 7220.20.70.05, 7220.20.70.10, 7220.20.70.15, 7220.20.70.60, 7220.20.70.80, 7220.20.80.00, 7220.20.90.30, 7220.20.90.60, 7220.90.00.10, 7220.90.00.15, 7220.90.00.60, and 7220.90.00.80. Although the HTS subheadings are provided for convenience and Customs purposes, the Department's written description of the merchandise under review is dispositive.
Excluded from the scope of this order are the following: (1) Sheet and strip that is not annealed or otherwise heat treated and pickled or otherwise descaled; (2) sheet and strip that is cut to length; (3) plate (i.e., flat-rolled stainless steel products of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more); (4) flat wire (i.e., cold-rolled sections, with a prepared edge, rectangular in shape, of a width of not more than 9.5 mm); and (5) razor blade steel. Razor blade steel is a flat-rolled product of stainless steel, not further worked than cold-rolled (cold- reduced), in coils, of a width of not more than 23 mm and a thickness of 0.266 mm or less, containing, by weight, 12.5 to 14.5 percent chromium, and certified at the time of entry to be used in the manufacture of razor blades. See Chapter 72 of the HTSUS, ``Additional U.S. Note''' 1(d).
In response to comments by interested parties the Department has determined that certain specialty stainless steel products are also excluded from the scope of this order. These excluded products are described below.
Flapper valve steel is defined as stainless steel strip in coils containing, by weight, between 0.37 and 0.43 percent carbon, between 1.15 and 1.35 percent molybdenum, and between 0.20 and 0.80 percent manganese. This steel also contains, by weight, phosphorus of 0.025 percent or less, silicon of between 0.20 and 0.50 percent, and sulfur of 0.020 percent or less. The product is manufactured by means of vacuum arc remelting, with inclusion controls for sulphide of no more than 0.04 percent and for oxide of no more than 0.05 percent. Flapper valve steel has a tensile strength of between 210 and 300 ksi, yield strength of between 170 and 270 ksi, plus or minus 8 ksi, and a hardness (Hv) of between 460 and 590. Flapper valve steel is most commonly used to produce specialty flapper valves for compressors.
Also excluded is a product referred to as suspension foil, a specialty steel product used in the manufacture of suspension assemblies for computer disk drives. Suspension foil is described as 302/304 grade or 202 grade stainless steel of a thickness between 14 and 127 microns, with a thickness tolerance of plus-or-minus 2.01 microns, and surface glossiness of 200 to 700 percent Gs. Suspension foil must be supplied in coil widths of not more than 407 mm, and with a mass of 225 kg or less. Roll marks may only be visible on one side, with no scratches of measurable depth. The material must exhibit residual stresses of 2 mm maximum deflection, and flatness of 1.6 mm over 685 mm length.
Certain stainless steel foil for automotive catalytic converters is also excluded from the scope of this order. This stainless steel strip in coils is a specialty foil with a thickness of between 20 and 110 microns used to produce a metallic substrate with a honeycomb structure for use in automotive catalytic converters. The steel contains, by weight, carbon of no more than 0.030 percent, silicon of no more than 1.0 percent, manganese of no more than 1.0 percent, chromium of between 19 and 22 percent, aluminum of no less than 5.0 percent, phosphorus of no more than 0.045 percent, sulfur of no more than 0.03 percent, lanthanum of between 0.002 and 0.05 percent, and total rare earth elements of more than 0.06 percent, with the balance iron.
Permanent magnet iron-chromium-cobalt alloy stainless strip is also excluded from the scope of this order. This ductile stainless steel strip contains, by weight, 26 to 30 percent chromium, and 7 to 10 percent cobalt, with the remainder of iron, in widths 228.6 mm or less, and a thickness between 0.127 and 1.270 mm. It exhibits magnetic remanence between 9,000 and 12,000 gauss, and a coercivity of between 50 and 300 oersteds. This product is most commonly used in electronic sensors and is currently available under proprietary trade names such as ``Arnokrome III.''\1\
\1\ ``Arnokrome III''' is a trademark of the Arnold Engineering Company.
Certain electrical resistance alloy steel is also excluded from the scope of this order. This product is defined as a non-magnetic stainless steel manufactured to American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) specification B344 and containing, by weight, 36 percent nickel, 18 percent chromium, and 46 percent iron, and is most notable for its resistance to high temperature corrosion. It has a melting point of 1390 degrees Celsius and displays a creep rupture limit of 4 kilograms per square millimeter at 1000 degrees Celsius. This steel is most commonly used in the production of heating ribbons for circuit breakers and industrial furnaces, and in rheostats for railway locomotives. The product is currently available under proprietary trade names such as ``Gilphy 36''.\2\
\2\ ``Gilphy 36'' is a trademark of Imphy, S.A.
Certain martensitic precipitation-hardenable stainless steel is also excluded from the scope of this order. This high-strength, ductile stainless steel product is designated under the Unified Numbering System (UNS) as S45500-grade steel, and contains, by weight, 11 to 13 percent chromium, and 7 to 10 percent nickel. Carbon, manganese, silicon and molybdenum each comprise, by weight, 0.05 percent or less, with phosphorus and sulfur each comprising, by weight, 0.03 percent or less. This steel has copper, niobium, and titanium added to achieve aging, and will exhibit yield strengths as high as 1700 Mpa and ultimate tensile strengths as high as 1750 Mpa after aging, with elongation percentages of 3 percent or less in 50 mm. It is generally provided in thicknesses between 0.635 and 0.787 mm, and in widths of 25.4 mm. This product is most commonly used in the manufacture of television tubes and is currently available under proprietary trade names such as ``Durphynox 17.''\3\
\3\ ``Durphynox 17'' is a trademark of Imphy, S.A.
Finally, three specialty stainless steels typically used in certain industrial blades and surgical and medical instruments are also excluded from the scope of this order. These include stainless steel strip in coils used in the production of textile cutting tools (e.g., carpet knives).\4\ This steel is similar to ASTM grade 440F, but containing, by
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weight, 0.5 to 0.7 percent of molybdenum. The steel also contains, by weight, carbon of between 1.0 and 1.1 percent, sulfur of 0.020 percent or less, and includes between 0.20 and 0.30 percent copper and between 0.20 and 0.50 percent cobalt. This steel is sold under proprietary names such as ``GIN4 Mo.'' The second excluded stainless steel strip in coils is similar to AISI 420-J2 and contains, by weight, carbon of between 0.62 and 0.70 percent, silicon of between 0.20 and 0.50 percent, manganese of between 0.45 and 0.80 percent, phosphorus of no more than 0.025 percent and sulfur of no more than 0.020 percent. This steel has a carbide density on average of 100 carbide particles per square micron. An example of this product is ``GIN5'' steel. The third specialty steel has a chemical composition similar to AISI 420 F, with carbon of between 0.37 and 0.43 percent, molybdenum of between 1.15 and 1.35 percent, but lower manganese of between 0.20 and 0.80 percent, phosphorus of no more than 0.025 percent, silicon of between 0.20 and 0.50 percent, and sulfur of no more than 0.020 percent. This product is supplied with a hardness of more than Hv 500 guaranteed after customer processing, and is supplied as, for example, ``GIN6.''\5\
\4\ This list of uses is illustrative and provided for descriptive purposes only.
\5\ ``GIN4 Mo,'' ``GIN5'' and ``GIN6'' are the proprietary grades of Hitachi Metals America, Ltd.
Initiation and Preliminary Resudlts of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative Review
In accordance with section 751(b) of the Tariff Act, the Department is initiating a changed circumstances administrative review to determine whether ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. is the successor company to Mexinox S.A. de C.V. In making such a determination, the Department examines several factors including, but not limited to, changes in: (1) management, (2) production facilities, (3) supplier relationships, and (4) customer base. See, e.g., S4 from Korea Changed Circumstances Review, 66 FR 67513, 67515. While no one or several of these factors will necessarily provide a dispositive indication, the Department will generally consider the new company to be the successor to the previous company if its resulting operation is similar to that of the predecessor. See, e.g., Industrial Phosphoric Acid from Israel Final Results of Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review, 59 FR 6944 (February 14, 1994). Thus, if evidence demonstrates that, with respect to the production and sale of the subject merchandise, the new company operates as the same entity as the former company, the Department will treat the successor company the same as the predecessor for purposes of antidumping liability, e.g., assign the same cash deposit rate, revocation, etc.
We have examined the information provided by ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. in its March 19, 2002 letter and determine that ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. has established a prima facie case that it is the successor-in-interest to Mexinox S.A. de C.V. As shown in Attachments 7, 8 and 9, respectively, the Board of Directors, management, and organizational structure of the former Mexinox S.A. de C.V. have remained intact. Attachments 3 and 6 confirm there has been no change in ownership. As determined in the original investigation of stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from Mexico, the former Mexinox S.A. de C.V. was a privately-held company; ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. is a also privately held company with an ownership structure identical to that found in the most recently-completed administrative review of stainless steel sheet and strip in coils from Mexico. Attachment 5 demonstrates there has not been a change in the location of the production facilities, and Attachments 11 and 12, respectively, show there have been no changes in the customer or supplier base. Finally, ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. has provided sufficient documentation of the name change. See, e.g., Attachment 4 (notarized amendments to Articles of Incorporation changing corporate name) and Attachment 5 (registration of corporate name change with Mexican tax authorities). Therefore, we preliminarily determine that ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. has maintained the same management, production facilities, supplier relationships, and customer bases as did Mexinox S.A. de C.V. Based upon the foregoing, we preliminarily determine that ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. is the successor-in- interest to Mexinox S.A. de C.V. and we find it appropriate to issue the preliminary results in combination with the notice of initiation in accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii). If there are no changes in the final results of the changed circumstances review, ThyssenKrupp Mexinox S.A. de C.V. shall retain the antidumping duty cash deposit rate assigned to Mexinox S.A. de C.V. in the most recent administrative review of the subject merchandise.
Public Comment
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310, any interested party may request a hearing within 10 days of publication of this notice. Case briefs and/ or written comments from interested parties may be submitted no later than 21 days after the date of publication of this notice. Rebuttal briefs and rebuttals comments, limited to the issues raised in those case briefs or comments, may be filedno later than 28 days after the publication of this notice. All written comments must be submitted and served on all interested parties on the Department's service list in accordance with 19 CFR 351.303. Any hearing, if requested, will be held no later than 30 days after the date of publication of this notice, or the first working day thereafter. Persons interested in attending the hearing should contact the Department for the date and time of the hearing. The Department will publish in the Federal Register a notice of final results of this changed circumstances antidumping duty administrative review, including the results of its analysis of any issues raised in any written comments.
During the course of this changed circumstances review, we will not change any cash deposit instructions on the merchandise subject to this changed circumstances review, unless a change is determined to be warranted pursuant to the final results of this review.
We are issuing and publishing this finding and notice in accordance with sections 751(b) and 777(i)(1) of the Tariff Act and 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3) and 19 CFR 351.216.
Dated: May 13, 2002 Faryar Shirzad, Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-12589Filed5-17-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-S
