08-3-2685 US Purchaser Questionnaire (Sunset)

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 08-3-2685; Expiration Date: 6/30/2011
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
STEEL CONCRETE REINFORCING BAR (REBAR) FROM TURKEY

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by no later than August 14, 2008
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 review of the antidumping duty order concerning steel concrete reinforcing bar (rebar) from Turkey (inv.
No. 731-TA-745 (Second Review)). 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 James Fetzer (202-708-5403).
Name of firm
Address
City

State

Zip code

World Wide Web address
Has your firm purchased rebar (as defined in the instruction booklet) from any source (domestic or foreign) at any
time since January 1, 2002?

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 signing 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 review in any other import-injury investigations or reviews conducted
by the Commission on the same or similar merchandise. (If you do not consent to such use, please note the certification accordingly.)
I acknowledge that information submitted in this questionnaire response and throughout this review 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 review 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.
I AGREE TO THE ABOVE CERTIFICATION

Name and Title of Authorized Official

Signature of Authorized Official

Date

E-mail address

Phone

Ext.:

Fax

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PART I.--GENERAL QUESTIONS
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 30 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-1.

(a) 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-1.

(b) 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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PART I.--GENERAL QUESTIONS - Continued
I-4.

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

I-5.

Address

Affiliation

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

I-6.

Yes--List the following information.

Yes--List the following information.
Address

Affiliation

In Part III of this questionnaire we request a copy of your company’s business plan. Does your
company or any related firm have a business plan or any internal documents that describe, discuss,
or analyze expected future market conditions for rebar?
No

Yes--Please provide the requested documents. If you are not providing the
requested documents, please explain why not.

_________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

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PART. II--PURCHASES
II-1.

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

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

PURCHASES OF REBAR PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES For your facilities within the specified region:1
Quantity2
Value
For your facilities outside the specified region:1
Quantity2
Value
PURCHASES OF REBAR PRODUCED IN TURKEY
For your facilities within the specified region:1
Quantity2
Value
For your facilities outside the specified region:1
Quantity2
Value
PURCHASES OF REBAR PRODUCED IN ALL OTHER COUNTRIES3
For your facilities within the specified region:1
Quantity2
Value
For your facilities outside the specified region:1
Quantity2
Value
1
For purposes of this review, the specified region includes: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia; plus Puerto Rico and
the District of Columbia.
2

If reporting quantities in any other measurement than “short tons,” please specify here:

3

Please name these other countries:

II-2.

If the relative levels of your firm’s purchases of rebar from different sources (both domestic and
foreign) have changed since 2002 (the year the antidumping duty order under review was last
evaluated), please list the country, state whether the relative share from that country has increased
or decreased, and state the reason.
Country

Increase/Decrease

Reason

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

II-3.

(a)

Did your firm purchase rebar from Turkey before 2002?
No skip to (c)

(b)

Yes

If yes, has your pattern of purchasing rebar from Turkey changed since 2002?
No, our pattern of purchasing is essentially unchanged.
Yes, we discontinued purchases from Turkey because of the order.
Yes, we reduced purchases from Turkey because of the order.
Yes, but we changed the pattern of purchases from Turkey for reasons other
than the order (please explain below).

(c)

Has your pattern of purchasing rebar from nonsubject foreign sources changed since 2002?
(please check all that apply).
We did not purchase from nonsubject foreign sources before or after the order.
No, our pattern of purchasing is essentially unchanged.
Yes, we increased purchases from nonsubject countries because of the order.
Yes, but we changed our pattern of purchases from nonsubject countries for reasons
other than the order (please explain below).

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

III-2

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

)

Steel service center (

)

Reinforcing steel fabricator (

)

Contractor (

)

Building material dealer (

)

Other (

)

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

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

III-3.

If your firm is an end user of rebar, list in order of quantity of rebar consumed, the top 3 products
for which your firm purchases rebar as a component part or input. Please indicate what percentage
of the total cost is accounted for by rebar (and NOTE: this percentage should not add to 100
percent).
Product you produce

Percent of cost accounted for by rebar

1.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3.

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

(a) If your firm is an end user of rebar, has the demand for your firm’s final products incorporating
rebar changed since 2002?
Increased

Unchanged

Decreased

(b) Has this had any effect on your firm’s demand for rebar?

III-5.

(a) Have there been any changes in the end uses of rebar since 2002?
No

Yes--Discuss the changes, noting the time period in which they occurred.

(b) Which construction markets do your customers generally serve (check all that apply):
Residential (i.e. homes, swimming pools, patios)Commercial (i.e., roads, bridges, office buildings)OtherUnknown-

III-6.

percent of purchases in 2007
percent of purchases in 2007

percent of purchases in 2007
percent of purchases in 2007

Do you anticipate any changes in terms of the end uses of rebar in the future?
No

Yes--Please describe and identify the time period. Provide any underlying
assumptions, along with relevant portions of business plans or other
supporting documentation, that address this issue.

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

(a) Can other products be substituted for rebar?
No

(2)

(1)

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 rebar?
Yes--Please explain.

Have there been any changes in the number or types of products that can be substituted for rebar
since 2002?
No

III-9.

(3)

(b)

No

III-8.

Yes--Please list these substitute products in order of importance.

Yes--Please explain.

Do you anticipate any changes in terms of the substitutability of other products for rebar in the
future?
No

Yes--Please describe. Provide any underlying assumptions, along with
relevant portions of business plans or other supporting documentation, that
address this issue.

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-10. (a) How has demand within the specified region for rebar changed since 2002?
Increased

Unchanged

Decreased

Other (describe)
What were the principal factors affecting changes in demand?

(b) How has demand within the entire United States for rebar changed since 2002?
Increased

Unchanged

Decreased

Other (describe)
What were the principal factors affecting changes in demand?

(c) How has demand outside the United States for rebar changed since 2002?
Increased

Unchanged

Decreased

Other (describe)
What were the principal factors affecting changes in demand?

III-11. Do you anticipate any future changes in rebar demand in the United States and, if known, the rest
of the world?
No

Yes--Please describe and identify the time period. Provide any underlying
assumptions, along with relevant portions of business plans or other
supporting documentation, that address this issue.

III-12. Please provide as separate attachments to this request any studies, surveys, etc., that you are aware
of that quantify and/or otherwise discuss rebar demand and/or factors affecting rebar demand in the
(1) United States, (2) each of the major producing/ consuming countries, including those subject to
this review, and (3) the world as a whole. Of particular interest is such data on an annual basis from
2002 to the present and forecasts of these demand data.

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-13. Have any changes occurred in any factors affecting supply (e.g., changes in availability or prices
of raw materials, energy or labor; transportation conditions; production capacity and/or methods of
production; technology; export markets; or alternative production opportunities) that affected the
availability of U.S.-produced rebar in the U.S. market since 2002?
No

Yes--Please note the time period(s) of any such changes, the factors(s)
involved, and the impact such changes had on your shipment volumes and
prices.

III-14. Is buying a product that is produced in the United States an important factor in your firm’s
purchases of rebar (please check ALL that apply)?
No
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are required by law or regulation (for example,
percent of all
government purchases under “Buy American” provisions). This involves
purchases of rebar.
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are not required by law or regulation, but are by your
percent of all purchases of rebar.
customers. This involves
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are required for other reasons (please specify these
percent of all purchases of rebar.
reasons below). This involves

III-15. (a)

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

(b)

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

Has the emergence of new markets for rebar since 2002 affected the business cycles or
conditions of competition distinctive to rebar?
No

Yes--Please explain any such changes.

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-16. Who are your major competitors?

III-17. Does your firm, and to the extent that you know, do your customers make purchasing decisions
involving rebar based on the producer of the rebar you purchase?
Your firm:

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

Your customers:

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

If at least sometimes, please discuss how your firm or your customers determine the producer and
why this information is important.
Your firm:

Your customers:

III-18. Does your firm, and to the extent that you know, do your customers make purchasing decisions
involving rebar based on the country of origin of the rebar you purchase?
Your firm:
Your customers:

Always
Always

Usually
Usually

Sometimes
Sometimes

Never
Never

If at least sometimes, please discuss how your firm or your customers determine the source and why
this information is important.
Your firm:

Your customers:

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

How frequently do you make purchases?
Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Quarterly

Annually

Other (specify)
(b)

Do you expect this purchasing pattern to change in the next two years?
No

Yes--How and why do you expect these changes to occur?

III-20. How many suppliers do you generally contact before making a purchase?

III-21. (a)

Do purchases of rebar usually involve negotiations between supplier and purchaser?
No

(b)

Yes--Please describe these negotiations. In your response, please comment
on whether purchasers generally quote competing prices as part of the
negotiation process.

Does your firm tend to vary its purchases from a given supplier within a specified time period
based on the price offered for that period?
No

Yes--Specify the time period.

III-22. Have you changed suppliers since 2002?
No

Yes--Please list the supplier or suppliers and indicate whether the firm was
added or dropped as a supplier. Also give the reasons for the change and
how frequently you change suppliers.

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-23. (a)

Are you aware of any new suppliers, either foreign or domestic, that have entered the market
since 2002?
No

(b)

Yes--Please identify the firms and indicate how you became aware of them.

Do you expect new rebar suppliers to enter the market in the future?
No

Yes--Please provide details, noting the specific future time period in your
response.

III-24. Do you require your suppliers to become certified or prequalified with respect to the quality,
chemistry, strength, or other performance characteristic of the rebar they sell to your firm?
No

Yes--

percent of purchases in 2007

Yes–all purchases

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

III-25. 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-26. Since 2002, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their attempts to certify or qualify
their rebar 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.

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-27.

(a) For the factors listed below, please rate each in terms of its importance in your purchase
decision for rebar.
VERY
IMPORTANT

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

SOMEWHAT
IMPORTANT

NOT
IMPORTANT

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-27.

(b) Please list, in order of their importance, the three major factors generally considered by your
firm in deciding from whom to purchase rebar 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.).
1.
2.
3.
Other factors or comments:

III-28.

What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the quality of rebar?

III-29.

How often does your firm purchase the rebar that is offered at the lowest price?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never.

III-30.

Please list the names of any firms you considered price leaders in the rebar market since 2002.
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-31.

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

III-32.

How frequently does the price of the rebar you are purchasing change?

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-33. Does your firm purchase rebar over the internet?
No

Yes--Please describe, noting the estimated percentage of your firm’s total
purchases of rebar in 2007 accounted for by internet purchases.

III-34. (a)

As an attachment to this questionnaire, please identify and discuss any
improvements/changes in the U.S. rebar industry since 2002 and explain fully, to the extent
possible, the factor(s), including the order(s) under review, that was/(were) responsible for
each improvement/change.

(b)

Please also discuss fully, to the extent possible, any improvements/changes that you
anticipate in the future in the U.S. rebar industry. Identify the specific future time period
covered in your response, and discuss the factors that you believe would be responsible for
each improvement/change.

III-35. What do you think will be the likely effects of any revocation of the antidumping duty order for
imports of rebar from Turkey? As appropriate, please discuss any potential effects of revocation
of the antidumping duty order on (1) the future activities of your firm and (2) the U.S. market as a
whole. Please note the future time period to which you are referring. Attach additional pages if
necessary.
(1) Activities of your firm:

(2) Entire U.S. market:

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PART IV.--COMPARISONS BETWEEN IMPORTED AND U.S. PRODUCED PRODUCT--Continued
IV-1.

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

IV-2.

)

Is rebar 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

Turkey

Other2

United States
Turkey
1
For any country-pair producing rebar which is sometimes or never interchangeable, please explain the
factors that limit or preclude interchangeable use:

2

Specify:

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PART IV.--COMPARISONS BETWEEN IMPORTED AND U.S. PRODUCED PRODUCT--Continued
IV-3.

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

IV-4.

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

IV-5.

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 rebar 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 rebar 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.

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PART IV.--COMPARISONS BETWEEN IMPORTED AND U.S. PRODUCED PRODUCT--Continued
IV-6.

For the factors listed below, please rate how rebar produced in each country you identified in your
response to the first question in Part IV compares with rebar produced in each of the other countries
you identified (including the United States and both subject and nonsubject foreign countries). Copy
this page as necessary to cover all possible country combinations and please attach any comments you
care to make concerning your responses, especially in comparisons where you rate product from one
country superior or inferior to product from another.
Electronic submissions: For each country comparison manually copy and paste IV-6 in a new
page in this document as necessary. (At the end of IV-6, insert a page break (Menu:
Insert-Break-Page break), copy IV-6 and paste in the new page.)
compared to
(specify country)

(specify country)
SUPERIOR

COMPARABLE

INFERIOR

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

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PART IV.--COMPARISONS BETWEEN IMPORTED AND U.S. PRODUCED PRODUCT--Continued
IV-7.

(a)

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

(b)

Usually

IV-8.

Rarely or never

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

(c)

Sometimes

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or never

How often does imported non-subject rebar meet minimum quality specifications for your uses
or your customers’ uses?

Country

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or never

Country

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or never

Country

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or never

(a) Since 2002, has there been a change in the price of rebar? If so, has the price of U.S.-produced
rebar changed more or less than the price of imported rebar from Turkey?
No change in price
Prices have changed by the same amount
Price of U.S.-produced rebar has changed relative to the price of rebar from Turkey
(b) If the price of U.S.-produced rebar has changed relative to the price of rebar from Turkey, the price
of U.S.-produced rebar is now relatively
Higher

Lower

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Part V--SUPPLIER IDENTIFICATION
Please identify below the names and addresses of your firm’s five largest suppliers for rebar during 2002.
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 rebar that each of these customers accounted for in 2007.

Street address (not P.O.
Supplier’s name
box), city, state, and zip code
No.
1

2

3

4

5

Contact person

Share of
Area code
2007
and telephone
purchases
number
(%)