10-3-2798 US purchaser questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 10-3-2798; Expiration Date: 6/30/2011
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
CERTAIN OIL COUNTRY TUBULAR GOODS FROM CHINA

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by no later than October 15, 2009
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 and antidumping duty investigations concerning OCTG from China (Inv. Nos.
701-TA-463 and 731-TA-1159 (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)). Further
information on this questionnaire can be obtained from Ioana Mic (202-205-3196).

Name of firm
Address
State

City

Zip Code

World Wide Web address
Has your firm purchased OCTG (as defined in the instruction booklet) from any source at any time since
January 1, 2006?

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 submitting 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 these investigations 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 these investigations 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 these investigations 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

Signature

Phone: (
Fax ( )

E-mail address

)

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 2

PART I.—GENERAL INFORMATION
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 25 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

Firm name

Yes--List the following information

Address

Extent of
ownership

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 3

PART I.--GENERAL INFORMATION--Continued
I-4.

Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which are engaged in
importing OCTG from China into the United States or which are engaged in exporting OCTG
from China to the United States?
No
Firm name

I-5.

Yes--List the following information
Address

Affiliation

Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which are engaged in the
production of OCTG?
No
Firm name

Yes--List the following information
Address

Affiliation

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 4

PART II.--PURCHASES
II-1.

Who should be contacted regarding the requested purchase information?
Company contact:
Name and title
(
)
Phone number

II-2.

E-mail address

Report, as indicated below, your firm’s purchases (either directly or through a sales agent or
broker) of seamless and/or welded OCTG. Report based on delivery date, not order date.
(Quantity in short tons, value in $1,000)

Item
2006
2007
Purchases of SEAMLESS OCTG produced in the United States:
Quantity
Value
Purchases of SEAMLESS OCTG produced in China:
Quantity
Value
Purchases of SEAMLESS OCTG produced in all other countries:1
Quantity
Value
1
Please identify these countries:

2008

Jan.-Sept.
2009

2008

Jan.-Sept.
2009

(Quantity in short tons, value in $1,000)
Item
2006
2007
Purchases of WELDED OCTG produced in the United States:
Quantity
Value
Purchases of WELDED OCTG produced in China:
Quantity
Value
Purchases of WELDED OCTG produced in all other countries:1
Quantity
Value
1
Please identify these countries:

For all subsequent questions, please indicate if your responses differ based on time period, source of
supply, or form of OCTG (e.g., seamless or welded casing, tubing, or coupling stock).

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

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PART II.--PURCHASES--Continued
II-3.

If the relative shares of your firm’s total purchases of OCTG from different sources (both
domestic and foreign) have changed since January 1, 2006, please list the country, state whether
the relative share from that country has increased or decreased, and state the reason.
Country

Increase/decrease

Reason

II-4.

If your firm has purchased OCTG from only one country, please explain the reasons for doing so.

II-5.

Please discuss changes in the levels of your firm’s purchases of OCTG. Please indicate the
reasons for any substantive change, the impact of shifting demand in the OCTG market, whether
and to what extent your firm anticipated such shifts, your firm’s reaction to shifting demand, and
your firm’s reaction to changes in the relative availability or price level of OCTG from different
domestic and import sources of supply.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 6

PART II.--PURCHASES--Continued
II-6.

Report your firm’s inventories of OCTG purchased by your firm during the specified periods.
Quantity (in short tons)
Calendar years
Item

2006

2007

January-September
2008

2008

2009

End-of-period inventories of OCTG from the
United States
End-of-period inventories of OCTG from
China
End-of-period inventories of OCTG from
other countries

II-7.

Please discuss changes in the levels of your firm’s inventories of OCTG. Please discuss changes
in the levels of your firm’s purchases of OCTG. Please indicate the reasons for any substantive
change, the impact of shifting demand in the OCTG market, whether and to what extent your firm
anticipated such shifts, your firm’s reaction to shifting demand, and your firm’s reaction to
changes in the relative availability or price level of OCTG from different domestic and import
sources of supply.

II-8.

Please discuss your firm’s relative purchases and inventories of seamless and welded OCTG. To
what extent do the availability, market demand, and price levels of seamless OCTG affect those
for welded OCTG, and vice-versa?

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 7

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES
III-1.

Who should be contacted regarding the requested information on market characteristics and
purchasing practices?
Company contact:
Name and title
(
)
Phone number

III-2.

III-3.

E-mail address

Which of the following best describes your firm as a purchaser of OCTG (check all that apply,
noting the specific end uses if known)?
End user (

)

Distributor (

)

Other (Describe

)

(a) If your firm is a distributor or reseller of OCTG, what are the major types of consumers to
which you sell OCTG?

(b) Do you compete for sales to your customers with the manufacturers or importers from which
you purchase OCTG?

III-4.

If your firm is an end user of OCTG, list in order of quantity of OCTG consumed, the top 3
products for which your firm purchases OCTG as a component part or input. Please indicate
what percentage of the total cost is accounted for by OCTG.
Product(s) you produce

Percent of cost accounted for by OCTG

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-5.

(a) If your firm is an end user of OCTG, has the demand for your firm’s final products
incorporating OCTG changed since January 1, 2006?
Increased

III-6.

Decreased

Fluctuated

No change

(b)

If you have indicated that demand changed, please provide the factors that were
responsible for such change, specify the time period involved, and explain how this
change had any effect on your firm’s demand for OCTG.

(a)

How has the demand within the United States for OCTG changed since January 1, 2006?
Increased

Decreased

Fluctuated

No change

(b)

If you have indicated that demand for OCTG changed, please provide the factors that
were responsible for such change, and specify the time period involved.

(c)

How has the demand outside the United States (if known) for OCTG changed since
January 1, 2006?
Increased

(d)

Decreased

Fluctuated

No change

If you have indicated that demand for OCTG outside the United States changed, please
provide the factors that were responsible for such change, and specify the time period
involved.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 9

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-7.

(a)

Is the OCTG market subject to business cycles or conditions of competition distinctive to
OCTG?
No

(b)

Has the emergence of new markets for OCTG since January 1, 2006 affected the business
cycles or conditions of competition distinctive to OCTG?
No

III-8.

(a)

Yes--Please explain and provide estimates of the duration of any such
cycle.

Yes--Please explain any such changes.

Can other products be substituted for OCTG?
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 OCTG?
No

Yes--To what degree do changes in their prices affect the price for
OCTG? 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 OCTG or final
end use?

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 10

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-9.

Are you aware whether the OCTG you are purchasing is U.S.-produced or imported?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-10. Do you know the manufacturer of the OCTG that you purchase?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-11. To your knowledge, are your buyers aware of and/or interested in the country of origin of the
goods you supply them?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-12. Have you made significant changes in your purchasing patterns (e.g., frequency) since
January 1, 2006?
No

Yes-- Please describe.

III-13. How many suppliers do you generally contact before making a purchase?

III-14. Have you changed suppliers since January 1, 2006?
No

Yes--Please list the suppliers, indicate whether each firm was added or
dropped as a supplier, and give the reasons for the change.

III-15. Are you aware of any new suppliers, either foreign or domestic, that have entered the market
since January 1, 2006?
No

Yes--Please identify the firms.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 11

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-16. Do you require your suppliers to become certified or prequalified with respect to the quality,
chemistry, strength, or other performance characteristic of the OCTG they sell to your firm?
No

Yes--

percent of purchases in 2008

Yes--All purchases

Please provide a general description of the certification or qualification process and the time
required.

III-17. Briefly describe the factors that you consider when qualifying a new supplier (e.g., quality of
product, reliability of supplier, etc.) and estimate the time it takes to certify or qualify a new
supplier.

III-18. Since January 1, 2006, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their attempts to certify
or qualify their OCTG with your firm or have any producers lost their approved status?
No

Yes--Please identify these firms, the countries where they are located, and the
reasons why they failed the certification/qualification process.

III-19. Since January 1, 2006, have any of your suppliers refused, declined, or been unable to supply
OCTG? (Examples include being placed on allocation or “controlled order entry,” declining to
accept new customers or renew existing customers, delivering less than the quantity promised,
unable to meet timely shipment commitments, etc.)? With respect to timely shipment
commitments, you may wish to refer to the average lead times for individual suppliers.
No

Yes--Please note and document the time period(s) (i.e., month and year), the
supplier involved; and the amount of OCTG involved.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 12

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-20. (a)

Focusing specifically on 2008, please describe your experiences obtaining OCTG from
U.S. suppliers, Chinese suppliers, and other import suppliers. How did your relationships
with these different suppliers change through 2008?

(b)

If you have written communications from U.S. suppliers, Chinese suppliers, or other
imports suppliers about their ability, willingness, and prices to provide OCTG during this
period, please provide copies of those communications with your response.

III-21. Please describe the lag time between order placement and delivery of OCTG from different
sources, and indicate whether and to what extent lag times have changed since 2006, particularly during
periods of rising or falling demand.
(a) Domestically-produced OCTG

(b) OCTG imported from China

(c) OCTG imported from countries other than China

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 13

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-22. (a)

For the factors listed below, please rate each in terms of its importance in your
purchase decision for OCTG.
Very
important

Availability .......................................
Delivery terms .................................
Delivery time ...................................
Discounts offered ............................
Extension of credit...........................
Price ................................................
Minimum qty requirements..............
Packaging .......................................
Product consistency ........................
Quality meets industry standards....
Quality exceeds industry standards
Product range..................................
Reliability of supply .........................
Technical support/service ...............
U.S. transportation costs.................
Other (specify):
........
........
........

Somewhat
important

Not
important

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 14

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-22. (b)

Please list, in order of their importance, the three major factors generally considered by
your firm in deciding from whom to purchase OCTG for any one order (examples include
current availability, extension of credit, prearranged contracts, price, quality exceeding
specifications or industry standards, range of supplier’s product line, traditional supplier,
etc.).
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Other factors or comments:

III-23. What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the quality of OCTG?

III-24. How often does your firm purchase the OCTG that is offered at the lowest price?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-25. Please list the names of any firms you considered price leaders in the OCTG market since
January 1, 2006. A price leader is defined as (1) one or more firms that initiate a price change,
either upward or downward, that is followed by other firms, or (2) one or more firms that have a
significant impact on prices. A price leader does not necessarily have to be the lowest priced
supplier. For those firms identified as a price leader, please specify the time period in which a
price change was communicated, whether the price change was upward or downward, and
whether it covered a specific geographic region or a specific product type.

III-26. Please describe how the above firm(s) exhibited price leadership.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 15

PART IV.--OCTG COMPARISONS
IV-1.

Who should be contacted regarding the requested information on product comparisons?
Company contact:
Name and title
(
)
Phone number

IV-2.

E-mail address

Please indicate the countries of origin for OCTG for which your firm has actual marketing/pricing
knowledge.
United States
China
Other countries (Please specify:

IV-3.

)

Is OCTG 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

China

Canada

Germany

Japan

Korea

Other
countries

United States
China
1

For any country-pair for which factors other than price always or frequently are a significant factor in
your firm’s sales of OCTG, identify the country-pair and report the advantages or disadvantages imparted by
such factors:

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 16

PART IV.--OCTG COMPARISONS--Continued
IV-4.

Do you or your customers ever specifically order OCTG from one country in particular over other
possible sources of supply?
No

IV-5.

Are certain grades/types/sizes of OCTG available from only a single source (domestic or foreign,
including both subject and nonsubject countries)?
No

IV-6.

Yes--Please identify all relevant countries (including the United States and
both subject and nonsubject foreign countries) from which you or your
customers prefer to order, and indicate why OCTG from these countries is
preferred over product from other countries (please note the specific
product in your response).

Yes--Please identify the source and the grade/type/size.

If you purchased OCTG from one source although a comparable product was available from
another source at a lower price, please explain your reasons for doing so (please specify by
country, including the United States and both subject and nonsubject foreign countries).
Possibilities might include transaction characteristics such as length of time to fill orders,
minimum order size, reliability of supply, etc.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 17

PART IV.--OCTG COMPARISONS--Continued
For the factors listed below, please rate how OCTG produced in each country you identified in
your response to the first question in Part IV compares with OCTG produced in each of the other
countries you identified (including the United States and both subject and nonsubject foreign
countries). Please type an “X” for each quality in each product comparison indicating whether
the product from the first source is superior, comparable, or inferior compared with the product
from the second source.

Availability ...............................................
Delivery terms .........................................
Delivery time ...........................................
Discounts offered ....................................
Extension of credit...................................
Lower price1 ............................................
Minimum quantity requirements..............
Packaging................................................
Product consistency ................................
Quality meets industry standards............
Quality exceeds industry standards ........
Product range..........................................
Reliability of supply .................................
Technical support/service .......................
Lower U.S. transportation costs1.............
Other (specify):

Inferior

compared to
OCTG from

Comparable

compared to
OCTG from

Superior

OCTG from

Inferior

OCTG from

Comparable

Inferior

Comparable

Quality

Superior

OCTG from
United States
compared to
OCTG from
China

Superior

IV-7.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 18

PART IV.--OCTG COMPARISONS--Continued
Continued.

Availability ...............................................
Delivery terms .........................................
Delivery time ...........................................
Discounts offered ....................................
Extension of credit...................................
Lower price1 ............................................
Minimum quantity requirements..............
Packaging................................................
Product consistency ................................
Quality meets industry standards............
Quality exceeds industry standards ........
Product range..........................................
Reliability of supply .................................
Technical support/service .......................
Lower U.S. transportation costs1.............
Other (specify):

1

A rating of superior on price and U.S. transportation costs indicates that the first country generally has
lower prices/U.S. transportation costs than the second country.

Inferior

Comparable

Superior

compared to
OCTG from

Inferior

compared to
OCTG from

Comparable

compared to
OCTG from

Superior

OCTG from

Inferior

OCTG from

Comparable

Quality

OCTG from

Superior

IV-7.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 19

PART IV.--OCTG COMPARISONS--Continued
IV-8.

(a)

How often does domestically produced OCTG meet minimum quality specifications for
your uses or your customers’ uses?
Always

(b)

Sometimes

Never

How often does imported subject OCTG from China meet minimum quality
specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses?
Always

(c)

Usually

Usually

Sometimes

Never

How often does imported nonsubject OCTG meet minimum quality specifications for
your uses or your customers’ uses?
From:
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

Usually

Sometimes

Never

Usually

Sometimes

Never

Usually

Sometimes

Never

From:
Always
From:
Always
From:
Always

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - OCTG

Page 20

PART V.—SUPPLIER IDENTIFICATION
V-1.

No.

1

2

3

4

5

Please provide the names and addresses of your firm’s five largest suppliers of OCTG purchased
since January 1, 2006. Please also provide the name and telephone number of a contact person
and the share of the quantity of your firm’s total purchases of OCTG that each of these suppliers
accounted for in 2008 and January-September 2009.

Supplier’s name

Street address (not P.O.
box), city, state, and zip
code

Contact
person

Area code
and
telephone
number

Share of
2008
purchases
(%)

Share of
2009
purchases
(%)