Form OINV-Original-Impo Importer Questionnaire (Original Investigations)

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. xx-x-xxx; Expiration Date: 6/30/08

(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. IMPORTERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE

PRODUCT FROM COUNTRY

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by no later than INSERT DATE

See page 4 of the Instruction Booklet for filing instructions.

The information called for in this questionnaire is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in connection with its countervailing duty/antidumping investigation concerning PRODUCT from COUNTRY (inv. No. 701/731-TA-xxx (Preliminary/Final)). The information requested in the questionnaire is requested under the authority of the Tariff Act of 1930, title VII. This report is mandatory and failure to reply as directed can result in a subpoena or other order to compel the submission of records or information in your possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)).

Name of firm      

Address      

City       State    Zip Code      

World Wide Web address      

Has your firm imported PRODUCT (as defined in the instruction booklet) from any country at any time since January 1, 2004?

NO (Sign the certification below and promptly return only this page of the questionnaire to the Commission)

YES (Read the instruction booklet carefully, complete all parts of the questionnaire, and return the entire

questionnaire to the Commission so as to be received by the date indicated above)

CERTIFICATION

I certify that the information herein supplied in response to this questionnaire is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief and understand that the information submitted is subject to audit and verification by the Commission.

By means of this certification I also grant consent for the Commission, and its employees and contract personnel, to use the information provided in this questionnaire and throughout this investigation in any other import-injury investigations conducted by the Commission on the same or similar merchandise.

I acknowledge that information submitted in this questionnaire response and throughout this investigation may be used by the Commission, its employees, and contract personnel who are acting in the capacity of Commission employees, for developing or maintaining the records of this investigation or related proceedings for which this information is submitted, or in internal audits and investigations relating to the programs and operations of the Commission pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3. I understand that all contract personnel will sign non-disclosure agreements.

                 

Name of Authorized Official Title of Authorized Official Date

      Phone: (   )           

Signature Fax (   )      E-mail address

The questions in this questionnaire have been reviewed with market participants to ensure that issues of concern are adequately addressed and that data requests are sufficient, meaningful, and as limited as possible. Public reporting burden for this questionnaire is estimated to average 40 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering the data needed, and completing and reviewing the questionnaire. Send comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Office of Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20436.

I-1a. Please report below the actual number of hours required and the cost to your firm of preparing the reply to this questionnaire and completing the form.

      hours       dollars

I-1b. We are interested in any comments you may have for improving this questionnaire in general or the clarity of specific questions. Please attach such comments to your response or send them to the above address.

I-2. Provide the name and address of establishment(s) covered by this questionnaire (see page 3 of the instruction booklet for reporting guidelines). If your firm is publicly traded, please specify the stock exchange and trading symbol.

     

I-3. Is your firm owned, in whole or in part, by any other firm?

No Yes--List the following information

Firm name	Address	Extent of ownership
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     

I-4. Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which are engaged in importing PRODUCT from COUNTRY into the United States or which are engaged in exporting PRODUCT from COUNTRY to the United States?

No Yes--List the following information

Firm name	Address	Affiliation
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     

I-5. Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which are engaged in the production of PRODUCT?

Firm name	Address	Affiliation
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     

I-6. Please indicate the nature of your firm’s importing operations on PRODUCT. More than one answer may be applicable.

Importer of record Takes title to the imported product(s)

Consignee of the imported products(s) Customs broker or freight forwarder.

I-7. If your firm is an importer of record of PRODUCT but is not the consignee, please list the consignees below (firm name, address, telephone number, and individual to contact).

Firm name	Address	Contact person and phone number
     	     	     
     	     	     
     	     	     

I-8. Please indicate whether your firm enters PRODUCT into, or withdraws such merchandise from, foreign trade zones or bonded warehouses.

Foreign trade zones No Yes

Bonded warehouses No Yes

I-9. Please indicate whether your firm imports PRODUCT under the TIB (temporary importation under bond) program.

No Yes

I-10. To your knowledge, have the products subject to this investigation been the subject of any other import relief investigations in the United States or in any other countries?

No Yes–Please specify.      

Further information on this part of the questionnaire can be obtained from INVESTIGATOR (202-xxx-xxxx, [email protected]). Supply all data requested on a calendar-year basis.

II-1. Who should be contacted regarding the requested trade and related information?

Company contact:      

Name and title

(   )            

Phone number E-mail address

II-2. Has your firm experienced any plant openings, relocations, expansions, acquisitions, consolidations, closures, or prolonged shutdowns because of strikes or equipment failure; or any other change in the character of your operations or organization relating to the production of PRODUCT since January 1, 2004?

No Yes--Supply details as to the time, nature, and significance of such changes.

     

II-3. Has your firm imported or arranged for the importation of PRODUCT from COUNTRY for delivery after March 31, 2007?

No Yes–Indicate when such orders are to be delivered and the quantities involved.

     

II-4. If your firm also produces PRODUCT in the United States, please indicate your reasons for importing this product. If your reasons differ by source, please elaborate.

     

II-5. IMPORTS FROM SUBJECT SOURCES.–Report your firm’s imports and your firm’s shipments and inventories of PRODUCT imported from COUNTRY by your firm during the specified periods. (See definitions in the instruction booklet.) Duplicate (copy and paste) this table for each subject country and delete this note.

COUNTRY

Quantity (in SPECIFY), value (in $1,000)
Item	Calendar years			January-March
	2004	2005	2006	2006	2007
Beginning-of-period inventories (quantity)	     	     	     	     	     
Imports:1
Quantity of imports	     	     	     	     	     
Value of imports	     	     	     	     	     
U.S. shipments:
Commercial shipments:
Quantity of commercial shipments	     	     	     	     	     
Value of commercial shipments	     	     	     	     	     
Internal consumption/company transfers:
Quantity of internal consumption/transfers	     	     	     	     	     
Value2 of internal consumption/transfers	     	     	     	     	     
Export shipments:3
Quantity of export shipments	     	     	     	     	     
Value of export shipments	     	     	     	     	     
End-of-period inventories4 (quantity)	     	     	     	     	     
Channels of distribution:
U.S. shipments to distributors (quantity)	     	     	     	     	     
U.S. shipments to end users (quantity)	     	     	     	     	     
1 Please identify the foreign producers, if known:       2 Sales to related firms (including internal consumption) must be valued at fair market value. In the event that you use a different basis for valuing these sales within your company, please specify that basis (e.g., cost, cost plus, etc.) and provide value data using that basis for 2004, 2005, and 2006 below:       3 Identify your principal export markets:       4 Reconciliation of data.--Please note that the quantities reported above should reconcile as follows: beginning-of-period inventories, plus production, less total shipments, equals end-of-period inventories. Do the data reported reconcile? Yes No--Please explain:      

II-6. IMPORTS FROM NONSUBJECT SOURCES.–Report your firm’s imports and your firm’s shipments and inventories of PRODUCT imported from all other sources combined by your firm during the specified periods. (See definitions in the instruction booklet.)

ALL OTHER SOURCES COMBINED

Quantity (in SPECIFY), value (in $1,000)
Item	Calendar years			January-March
	2004	2005	2006	2006	2007
Beginning-of-period inventories (quantity)	     	     	     	     	     
Imports:1
Quantity of imports	     	     	     	     	     
Value of imports	     	     	     	     	     
U.S. shipments:
Commercial shipments:
Quantity of commercial shipments	     	     	     	     	     
Value of commercial shipments	     	     	     	     	     
Internal consumption/company transfers:
Quantity of internal consumption/transfers	     	     	     	     	     
Value2 of internal consumption/transfers	     	     	     	     	     
Export shipments:3
Quantity of export shipments	     	     	     	     	     
Value of export shipments	     	     	     	     	     
End-of-period inventories4 (quantity)	     	     	     	     	     
Channels of distribution:
U.S. shipments to distributors (quantity)	     	     	     	     	     
U.S. shipments to end users (quantity)	     	     	     	     	     
1 Please identify the sources and foreign producers, if known:       2 Sales to related firms (including internal consumption) must be valued at fair market value. In the event that you use a different basis for valuing these sales within your company, please specify that basis (e.g., cost, cost plus, etc.) and provide value data using that basis for 2004, 2005, and 2006 below:       3 Identify your principal export markets:       4 Reconciliation of data.--Please note that the quantities reported above should reconcile as follows: beginning-of-period inventories, plus production, less total shipments, equals end-of-period inventories. Do the data reported reconcile? Yes No--Please explain:      

Further information on this part of the questionnaire can be obtained from ECONOMIST (202-xxx-xxxx, [email protected])

III-1. Who should be contacted regarding the requested pricing and related information?

Company contact:      

Name and title

(   )            

Phone number E-mail address

PRICE DATA

This section requests quarterly price and quantity data, f.o.b. your U.S. point of shipment, concerning your firm’s U.S. commercial shipments to unrelated U.S. customers of the following products imported from COUNTRY during January 2004-March 2007:

Product 1.--DEFINE

Product 2.--DEFINE

Product 3.--DEFINE

Product 4.--DEFINE

Please note that total dollar values should be f.o.b., U.S. point of shipment and should not include U.S.-inland transportation costs. Total dollar values should reflect the final net amount paid to you (i.e., should be net of all deductions for discounts or rebates). See instruction booklet.

III-2a. Report below the quarterly price data¹ for pricing products² imported from COUNTRY and sold by your firm. Duplicate (copy and paste) this table for each subject country and delete this note.

COUNTRY

(Quantity in SPECIFY, value in dollars)
Period of shipment	Product 1		Product 2
	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value
2004 January-March	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     
2005 January-March	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     
2006 January-March	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     
2007 January-March	     	     	     	     
1 Net values (i.e., gross sales values less all discounts, allowances, rebates, prepaid freight, and the value of returned goods), f.o.b. your U.S. point of shipment. 2 Pricing product definitions are provided on the first page of Part III. Note.--If your product does not exactly meet the product specifications but is competitive with the specified product, provide a description of your product: Product 1:       Product 2:      

III-2b. Report below the quarterly price data¹ for pricing products² imported from COUNTRY and sold by your firm. Duplicate (copy and paste) this table for each subject country and delete this note.

COUNTRY

(Quantity in SPECIFY, value in dollars)
Period of shipment	Product 3		Product 4
	Quantity	Value	Quantity	Value
2004 January-March	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     
2005 January-March	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     
2006 January-March	     	     	     	     
April-June	     	     	     	     
July-September	     	     	     	     
October-December	     	     	     	     
2007 January-March	     	     	     	     
1 Net values (i.e., gross sales values less all discounts, allowances, rebates, prepaid freight, and the value of returned goods), f.o.b. your U.S. point of shipment. 2 Pricing product definitions are provided on the first page of Part III. Note.--If your product does not exactly meet the product specifications but is competitive with the specified product, provide a description of your product: Product 3:       Product 4:      

III-3. Please describe how your firm determines the prices that it charges for sales of PRODUCT (transaction by transaction negotiation, contracts for multiple shipments, set price lists, etc.). If your firm issues price lists, please include a copy of a recent price list with your submission. If your price list is large, please submit sample pages.

     

III-4. Please describe your firm’s discount policy (quantity discounts, annual total volume discounts, etc.).

     

III-5. What are your firm’s typical sales terms for PRODUCT imported from COUNTRY (e.g., 2/10 net 30 days)?       . On what basis are your prices of such product usually quoted (e.g., f.o.b. warehouse, or delivered)?       .

III-6. Approximately what share of your firm’s sales of its PRODUCT imported from COUNTRY in 2006 were on a (1) long-term contract basis (multiple deliveries for more than 12 months), (2) short-term contract basis (multiple deliveries up to 12 months), and (3) spot sales basis (for a single delivery)?

Type of sale	Share of sales (percent)
Long-term contracts	     
Short-term contracts	     
Spot sales	     

III-7. If you sell on a long-term contract basis, please answer the following questions with respect to provisions of a typical long-term contract.

(a) What is the average duration of a contract?      

(b) Can prices be renegotiated during the contract period?      

(c) Does the contract fix quantity, price, or both?      

(d) Does the contract have a meet or release provision?      

III-8. If you sell on a short-term contract basis, please answer the following questions with respect to provisions of a typical short-term contract.

(a) What is the average duration of a contract?      

(b) Can prices be renegotiated during the contract period?      

(c) Does the contract fix quantity, price, or both?      

(d) Does the contract have a meet or release provision?      

III-9. What is the average lead time between a customer’s order and the date of delivery for your firm’s sales of PRODUCT?

Source	Share of sales, 2006	Lead time
From inventory	     	     
Produced to order	     	     
Total	100 %	     

III-10. (a) What is the approximate percentage of the total delivered cost of PRODUCT that is accounted for by U.S. inland transportation costs?       percent.

(b) Who generally arranges the transportation to your customers’ locations? (check one) Your firm or purchaser

(c) What proportion of your sales occur within 100 miles of your storage or production facility?       percent. Within 101 to 1,000 miles?       percent. Over 1,000 miles?       percent.

III-11. What is the geographic market area in the United States served by your firm’s PRODUCT? (check all that apply)

Northeast Mid-Atlantic Midwest Southeast

Southwest Rocky Mountains West Coast Northwest

National Other (describe:       )

III-12. Describe the end uses of the PRODUCT that you import from COUNTRY. For each end-use product, what percentage of the total cost is accounted for by PRODUCT?

End use	Share of total cost (percent)
     	     
     	     
     	     
     	     

III-13. (a) Can other products be substituted for PRODUCT?

No Yes--Please list these substitute products in order of importance.

(i)      

(ii)      

(iii)      

(b) For each possible substitute product, please give examples of applications and end uses for which they are substitutes.

     

(c) Have changes in the prices of these products affected the price for PRODUCT?

No Yes--To what degree do changes in their prices affect the price for PRODUCT? Does this effect have a time lag? If so, how long is the time lag for each substitute product? Does this vary by type of PRODUCT or final end use?

     

III-14. How has the demand within the United States (and outside the United States if known) for PRODUCT changed since January 1, 2004? What principal factors affect changes in demand?

Increase No Change Decrease

     

III-15. Have there been any significant changes in the product range or marketing of PRODUCT since January 1, 2004?

No Yes-- Please describe.

     

III-16. Does your firm sell PRODUCT over the internet?

No Yes-- Please describe, noting the estimated percentage of your firm’s total sales of PRODUCT in 2006 accounted for by internet sales.

     

III-17. Is PRODUCT produced in the United States and in other countries interchangeable (i.e., can they physically be used in the same applications)? Please indicate below, using “A” to indicate that the products from a specified country-pair are always interchangeable, “F” to indicate that the products are frequently interchangeable, “S” to indicate that the products are sometimes interchangeable, “N” to indicate that the products are never interchangeable, and “0” to indicate no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair.¹

Country-pair	United States	COUNTRY 1	COUNTRY 2	COUNTRY 3	Other countries
United States		 	 	 	 
COUNTRY 1			 	 	 
COUNTRY 2				 	 
COUNTRY 3					 
1 For any country-pair producing PRODUCT which is sometimes or never interchangeable, please explain the factors that limit or preclude interchangeable use:      

III-18. Are differences other than price (i.e., quality, availability, transportation network, product range, technical support, etc.) between PRODUCT produced in the United States and in other countries a significant factor in your firm’s sales of the products? Please indicate below, using “A” to indicate that such differences are always significant, “F” to indicate that such differences are frequently significant, “S” to indicate that such differences are sometimes significant, “N” to indicate that such differences are never significant, and “0” to indicate no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair.¹

Country-pair	United States	COUNTRY 1	COUNTRY 2	COUNTRY 3	Other countries
United States		 	 	 	 
COUNTRY 1			 	 	 
COUNTRY 2				 	 
COUNTRY 3					 
1 For any country-pair for which factors other than price always or frequently are a significant factor in your firm’s sales of PRODUCT, identify the country-pair and report the advantages or disadvantages imparted by such factors:      

III-19. Please identify below the names and addresses of your firm’s 10 largest customers for PRODUCT during 2004-2006. Please also provide the name and telephone number of a contact person and the share of the quantity of your firm’s total shipments of PRODUCT from COUNTRY that each of these customers accounted for in 2006.

No.	Customer’s name	Street address (not P.O. box), city, state, and zip code	Contact person	Area code and telephone number	Share of 2006 sales (%)
1	     	     	     	     	     
2	     	     	     	     	     
3	     	     	     	     	     
4	     	     	     	     	     
5	     	     	     	     	     
6	     	     	     	     	     
7	     	     	     	     	     
8	     	     	     	     	     
9	     	     	     	     	     
10