08-3-2721 Certain Steel Threaded Rod from China (F) -- U.S. purcha

OMB No. 3117-1116/USITC No. 08-3-2721; Expiration Date: 6/30/2011
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
CERTAIN STEEL THREADED ROD FROM CHINA

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by no later than December 19, 2008
See 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 antidumping investigations concerning certain steel threaded rod from China (Inv. No. 731-TA-1145
(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)). If you have any questions, please
contact Craig Thomsen (202-205-3226 or [email protected]).
Name of firm
Address
City

State

Zip code

World Wide Web address
Has your firm purchased certain steel threaded rod (as defined in the instruction booklet) from any source
(domestic or foreign) at any time since January 1, 2005?
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 investigation in any other import-injury investigations 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 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.
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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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

Page 2

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 20 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 - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

Page 3

PART I.--GENERAL QUESTIONS - Continued
I-4.

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

Yes--List the following information.
Address

Affiliation

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

Page 4

PART. II--PURCHASES
II-1.

Report, as indicated below, your firm’s purchases (either directly or through a sales agent or broker)
of certain steel threaded rod.
Item

2005

Calendar years
2006

2007

January-September
2007
2008

Quantity (in 1,000 pounds); Value (in dollars)
PURCHASES OF CERTAIN STEEL THREADED ROD PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES
Quantity1
Value
PURCHASES OF CERTAIN STEEL THREADED ROD PRODUCED IN CHINA
Quantity1
Value
PURCHASES OF CERTAIN STEEL THREADED ROD PRODUCED IN ALL OTHER COUNTRIES2
Quantity1
Value
1

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

________________________________________________________________________________
2

Please name these other countries:

II-2.

If the relative shares of your firm’s total purchases of certain steel threaded rod from different
sources (both domestic and foreign) have changed since January 1, 2005, please list the country,
state whether the relative share from that country has increased or decreased, and state the reason.
Country

II-3.

Increase/Decrease

Reason

If, in question II-1, your firm indicated that it purchased certain steel threaded rod from only one
country, please explain the reason(s) for doing so.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

Page 5

III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES
Please note that the questions in this section refer to domestic certain steel threaded rod and certain
steel threaded rod imported from ANY source (both subject and nonsubject countries). If your
response to any question differs depending on the country of origin, please report separately for each
country and note this in your response.
III-1.

Which of the following best describes your firm as a purchaser of certain steel threaded rod (check
all that apply, noting the specific end uses if known)?
END USER

III-2

(

)

DISTRIBUTOR (

)

Other

)

(

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

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

III-3.

If your firm is an end user of certain steel threaded rod, please indicate what percentage of the total
cost of the various end-use products is accounted for by the cost of the certain steel threaded rod
(PLEASE NOTE: these numbers should not add to 100 percent).

III-4.

(a) If your firm is an end user of certain steel threaded rod, how has the demand for your firm’s
final products incorporating certain steel threaded rod changed since January 1, 2005?
Increased

Did not change

Decreased

Other (please describe)

(b) How has this change affected on your firm’s demand for certain steel threaded rod?

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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

III-5.

(a) Are there any functional substitutes for certain steel rod (i.e., can certain steel threaded rod
be replaced in its end-use applications without loss of performance and price competitiveness)?
No

Yes--Please explain and answer part (b).

(b) If the answer is yes, please list in order of importance any products that may be substituted for
certain steel threaded rod.
(1)

(2)

(3)

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

(d) Have changes in the prices of these products affected the price for certain steel threaded rod?
No

III-6.

Yes--To what degree do changes in their prices affect the price for
certain steel threaded rod? 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 certain steel threaded rod or final end use?

(a) How has the demand within the United States for certain steel threaded rod changed since
January 1, 2005?
Increased

Did not change

Decreased

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

(b) How has the demand outside the United States, (if known), for certain steel threaded rod
changed since January 1, 2005?
Increased

Did not change

Decreased

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

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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

(a) Have any changes occurred in any factors that affect 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)
which have altered the availability of U.S.-produced certain steel threaded rod in the U.S.
market since January 1, 2005?
No

Yes--Please note the time period(s) of any such changes, the factor(s)
involved, and the impact such changes had.

(b) Since January 1, 2005 have you experienced any short supplies, unavailability of specific
products, or were you placed on allocation? Please indicate the specified products, companies,
and circumstances.

III-8.

(a) Is the certain steel threaded rod market subject to business cycles or conditions of
competition distinctive to certain steel threaded rod?
No--Please skip to III-9.

Yes--Please explain and answer part (b).

(b) If yes, please describe any changes in business cycles or conditions of competition for
certain steel threaded rod since January 1, 2005.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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

Are you aware whether the certain steel threaded rod you are purchasing are U.S. produced or
imported?
Always

III-10.

Rarely

Never.

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never.

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

III-12.

Sometimes

Do you know the manufacturer of the certain steel threaded rod that you purchase?
Always

III-11.

Usually

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never.

Have you made significant changes in your purchasing patterns (e.g., change in frequency of
purchase) in the last three years?
No

Yes--Please explain.

III-13.

How many suppliers do you generally contact before making a purchase?

III-14.

Have you changed suppliers since January 1, 2005?
No

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

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-15.

Are you aware of any new suppliers, either foreign or domestic, that have entered the market in
the last three years?
No

III-16.

Yes--Please identify the firms.

Do you require your suppliers to become certified or prequalified with respect to the quality,
strength, or other performance characteristics of the certain steel threaded rod 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 to grant or deny certification/qualification.

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, 2005, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their attempts to certify
or qualify their certain steel threaded rod 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.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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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 certain steel threaded rod.
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 ……………………
Availability of consigned inventory .. ………
Willingness to negotiate price or price terms
..
Willingness of supplier to accept raw material
cost increase risk ……………………………
Other (specify):
…………...………
…………...………

SOMEWHAT
IMPORTANT

NOT
IMPORTANT

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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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 certain steel threaded rod 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-20.

What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the quality of certain steel
threaded rod?

III-21.

How often does your firm purchase the certain steel threaded rod that is offered at the lowest
price?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never.

III-22.

Please list the names of any firms you considered price leaders in the certain steel threaded rod
market since January 1, 2005. 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-23.

Do the sales terms for certain steel threaded rod (e.g., how prices are set and adjusted, how
fluctuations in raw material costs are addressed, etc.) differ between U.S. producers and
importers of Chinese product?
No

Yes--Please explain any such differences and the extent to which they are
important for your firm’s purchases of certain steel threaded rod.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

Page 12

PART IV.--COMPARISONS BETWEEN IMPORTED AND U.S. PRODUCED PRODUCT
Please note that the questions in this section refer to domestic certain steel threaded rod and certain
steel threaded rod imported from ANY source (both subject and nonsubject countries). If your
response to any question differs depending on the country of origin, please report separately for each
country and note this in your response.
IV-1.

Please indicate the countries of origin for certain steel threaded rod for which your firm has actual
marketing/pricing knowledge.
United States
China
Other countries (Please specify

)

IV-2. Is certain steel threaded rod 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 “always” to
indicate that the products from a specified country-pair are always interchangeable, “frequently” to
indicate that the products are frequently interchangeable,“sometimes” to indicate that the products are
sometimes interchangeable,“never” to indicate that the products are never interchangeable, and “no
familiarity” to indicate no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair.1
Country-pair

China

Other countries

2

United States
China
1

For any country-pair producing certain steel threaded rod that you reported are sometimes or never
interchangeable, please explain the factors that limit or preclude interchangeable use. In your response
relating to “other countries,” if the degree of interchangeability differs for different nonsubject countries,
please note this below.

2

Please note the country/countries of origin of the certain steel threaded rod that are included in the
“other countries” category.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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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 certain steel threaded rod from one country in
particular over other possible sources of supply?
No

IV-4.

Are certain grades/types/sizes of certain steel threaded rod 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 certain steel threaded rod
from these countries is preferred over that from other countries (please
note the specific product in your response).

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

If you purchased certain steel threaded rod 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, more favorable sales terms, willingness to enter into consignment
arrangements, willingness of suppliers to accept raw material fluctuations or currency exchange
risks, etc.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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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 certain steel threaded rod produced in each country you
identified in your response to the first question in Part IV compare with certain steel threaded rod
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.)
Comparison 1
compared to
(specify country)

(specify country)
SUPERIOR

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 …………..
Availability of consigned inventory ..
Willingness to lower price
…………..
Willingness to offer more favorable
sales terms …………..………..……..

COMPARABLE

INFERIOR

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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PART IV.--COMPARISONS BETWEEN IMPORTED AND U.S. PRODUCED
PRODUCT--Continued
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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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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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 certain steel threaded rod produced in each country you
identified in your response to the first question in Part IV compare with certain steel threaded rod
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.)
Comparison 2
compared to
(specify country)

(specify country)
SUPERIOR

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 …………..
Availability of consigned inventory ..
Willingness to lower price
…………..
Willingness to offer more favorable
sales terms …………..………..……..

COMPARABLE

INFERIOR

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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

Comparison 3
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 …………..
Availability of consigned inventory ..
Willingness to lower price
…………..
Willingness to offer more favorable
sales terms …………..………..……..
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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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

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

(a) How often does certain steel threaded rod produced in the United States meet minimum quality
specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never.

Additional comments:

(b) How often does certain steel threaded rod imported from China meet minimum quality
specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never.

Additional comments:

(c) How often does certain steel threaded rod imported from nonsubject countries (countries other
than China) meet minimum quality specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses? Please
specify each nonsubject country.
Country

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never.

Country

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never.

Country

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely

Never.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Certain Steel Threaded Rod (731-TA-1145 (Final))

Page 19

Part V--SUPPLIER IDENTIFICATION
Please identify below the names and addresses of your firm’s five largest suppliers of certain steel threaded
rod during January 2005-September 2008. 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 certain steel threaded rod that each of
these suppliers 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
(%)