10-3-2846 US purchaser questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 10-3-2846; Expiration Date: 6/30/2011
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
WIRE DECKING FROM CHINA

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by no later than March 17, 2010
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 investigations concerning wire decking from China (inv. No.
701-TA466 and 731-TA-1162 (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 wire decking (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
Phone: (

Date

)

Signature

E-mail address
Fax (

)

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Wire Decking

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

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Wire Decking

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 wire decking from China into the United States or which are engaged in exporting wire
decking 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 wire decking?
No
Firm name

Yes--List the following information
Address

Affiliation

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Wire Decking

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 wire decking. Report based on delivery date, not order date.

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

II-3.

2009

If the relative shares of your firm’s total purchases of wire decking from different sources (both
domestic and foreign) have changed in the last three years, please list the country, state whether
the relative share from that country has increased or decreased, and state the reason.
Country

II-4.

2008

Increase/decrease

Reason

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

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Wire Decking

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PART II.--PURCHASES--Continued
II-5.

Supplier identification.--Please identify below the names and addresses of your firm’s FIVE
largest suppliers for wire decking since 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 wire
decking that each of these customers accounted for in 2009.
Supplier’s
name

No.
1

2

3

4

5

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

Contact person

Share of
Telephone number
2009
or e-mail address purchases
(%)

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Wire Decking

Page 6

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 wire decking (check all that
apply, noting the specific end uses)?
OEM (

)

Retailer (

)

Distributor (

)

Other (

)

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

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

III-4.

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

Percent of cost accounted for by wire decking

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

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

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

No change

Decreased

Fluctuated

(b) Has this had any effect on your firm’s demand for wire decking?
No

III-6.

(a)

Yes--Please describe the effect on your demand for wire decking.

Can other products be substituted for wire decking?
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 wire decking?
No

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

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

Page 8

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

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

III-8.

Usually

Rarely

Never

Do you know the manufacturer of the wire decking that you purchase?
Always

III-9.

Sometimes

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

To your knowledge, are your customers aware of and/or interested in the country of origin of the
goods you supply them?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

III-10. Is buying a product that is produced in the United States an important factor in your firm’s
purchases of wire decking (please check ALL that apply)?
No
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are required by law or regulation (for example,
government purchases under “Buy American” provisions). This involves
percent of
all purchases of wire decking.
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are not required by law or regulation, but are by your
customers. This involves
percent of all purchases of wire decking.
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are required for other reasons (please specify these
reasons below). This involves
percent of all purchases of wire decking.

III-11. Conditions of competition.-(a)

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

(b)

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

Has the emergence of new markets for wire decking since 2006 affected the business
cycles or conditions of competition distinctive to wire decking?
No

Yes--Please explain any such changes.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-12. Have you made significant changes in your purchasing patterns (e.g., frequency) since 2006?
No

Yes-- Please describe.

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

firms

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

Yes--Please identify the firms.

III-16. (a) Do you require the product you purchase to be “R-Mark” certified?
No

Yes--

percent of purchases in 2009

Yes--All purchases

(b) Is there any product you purchase for which “R-Mark” certified product is not available?
No

Yes--For what proportion of your purchases is there no “R-Mark” certified
product available?
percent of purchases in 2009

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-16. (c) Do you require your suppliers to become certified or prequalified with respect to the quality,
chemistry, strength, or other performance characteristic of the wire decking they sell to your firm
with a certification other than the “R-Mark” certification?
No

Yes--

percent of purchases in 2009

Yes--All purchases

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

(d) Please estimate the time it takes to certify or qualify a new supplier.

days

III-17. Briefly describe the factors that you consider when qualifying a new supplier (e.g., quality of
product, reliability of supplier, etc.).

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

Name of firm

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

Why it failed

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-19. (a)

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

Availability .......................................
Coating quality ...............................
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..................................
Product is galvanized ......................
Reliability of supply .........................
Technical support/service ...............
U.S. transportation costs.................
Other (specify):
........
........
........

Somewhat
important

Not
important

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

Page 12

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-19. (b)

Please list, in order of their importance, the three major factors generally considered by
your firm in deciding from whom to purchase wire decking 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-20. What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the quality of wire decking?

III-21. If you purchased wire decking 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.

III-22. How often is the type of coating applied to the wire decking an important factor in your
purchasing decision?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

III-23. How often is the quality of coating applied to the wire decking an important factor in your
purchasing decision?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

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

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-25. (a)

How often does your firm consider purchasing wire decking that is “used”?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

(b) If you did not answer “Never” to part (a), for what proportion of your purchases do you
consider purchasing wire decking that is “used”?

(c) How has this proportion changed since January 1, 2006?
Increased

No change

Decreased

Fluctuated--Explain

III-26. Please list the names of any firms you considered price leaders in the wire decking market since
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.

III-27. Please describe how the above firm(s) exhibited price leadership.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

Page 14

PART V.—SUPPLIER IDENTIFICATION
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 wire decking for which your firm has actual
marketing/pricing knowledge.
United States
China
Other countries (Please specify:

IV-3.

)

Is wire decking 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

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 purchases of wire decking, identify the country-pair and report the advantages or
disadvantages imparted by such factors:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

Page 15

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
IV-4.

Factors other than price.--Are differences other than price (i.e., quality, availability,
transportation network, product range, technical support, etc.) between wire decking produced in
the United States and in other countries a significant factor in your firm’s purchases 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

China

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 purchases of wire decking, identify the country-pair and report the advantages or
disadvantages imparted by such factors:

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

Page 16

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

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

IV-6.

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

IV-7.

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 wire decking 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 wire decking 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 – Wire Decking

Page 17

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
For the factors listed below, please rate how wire decking produced in each country you
identified in your response to the first question in Part IV compares with wire decking 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 ...............................................
Coating quality ........................................
Delivery terms .........................................
Delivery time ...........................................
Discounts offered ....................................
Extension of credit...................................
Price1 .......................................................
Minimum quantity requirements..............
Packaging ...............................................
Product consistency ................................
Quality meets industry standards............
Quality exceeds industry standards ........
Product range..........................................
Product is galvanized ..............................
Reliability of supply .................................
Technical support/service .......................
U.S. transportation costs1 .......................
Other (specify):

Inferior

Comparable

product from
China
compared to
product from

Superior

Inferior

product from
United States
compared to
product from

Comparable

Inferior

Comparable

Quality

Superior

product from
United States
compared to
product from
China

Superior

IV-8.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – Wire Decking

Page 18

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
IV-8.

(a)

How often does domestically produced wire decking meet minimum quality
specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses?
Always
(b)

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or never

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

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or never

(c)
How often does imported nonsubject wire decking (i.e., wire decking from
countries other than China) meet minimum quality specifications for your uses or your
customers’ uses?
Source

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or
never