08-3-2725 Frontseating service valves from China (F) -- U.S. purch

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 08-3-2725; Expiration Date: 6/30/2011
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
FRONTSEATING SERVICE VALVES (FSVs) FROM CHINA

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by no later than January 8, 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 antidumping investigation concerning FSVs from China (inv. No. 731-TA-1148 (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
Nancy Bryan (202-205-2088).

Name of firm
Address
State

City

Zip Code

World Wide Web address
Has your firm purchased FSVs (as defined in the instruction booklet) from any source 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 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 this investigation in any other import-injury investigations conducted
by the Commission on the same or similar merchandise.
I acknowledge that information submitted in this questionnaire response and throughout this investigation may be used by the
Commission, its employees, and contract personnel who are acting in the capacity of Commission employees, for developing or
maintaining the records of this investigation or related proceedings for which this information is submitted, or in internal audits
and investigations relating to the programs and operations of the Commission pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3. I understand that
all contract personnel will sign non-disclosure agreements.

Name of Authorized Official

Title of Authorized Official

Date

Signature

Phone: (
Fax ( )

E-mail address

)

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – FSVs

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 - FSVs

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

Yes--List the following information.
Address

Affiliation

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – FSVs

Page 4

PART II.—TRADE AND RELATED INFORMATION
II-1.

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

II-2.

Did your firm change the amounts of its purchases (or do you plan to change the amounts of your
purchases) of FSVs produced in China because of the filing of the petition in this investigation?
No

II-3.

Yes–Supply specific details as to the time, nature, and amounts of any such
changes in imports or orders from China, also indicating whether
any increases in such imports replaced or will replace (or whether any
decreases in such imports were replaced by or will be replaced by)
FSVs produced in the United States and/or imported from
nonsubject countries.

Did your firm change the amounts of its purchases (or do you plan to change the amounts of your
purchases) of FSVs from China because of the Department of Commerce’s preliminary
determinations of sales at less value of FSVs from China?
No

II-4.

E-mail address

Yes–Supply specific details as to the time, nature, and amounts of any such
changes in imports or orders from China, also indicating whether
any increases in such imports replaced or will replace (or whether any
decreases in such imports were replaced by or will be replaced by)
FSVs produced in the United States and/or imported from
nonsubject countries.

Since January 1, 2005, have prices in the U.S. market for FSVs generally increased, decreased, or
stayed t he same?
Increased

Decreased

Stayed the same

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – FSVs

Page 5

PART II.—TRADE AND RELATED INFORMATION--Continued
II-5.

If you checked “Increased” or “Decreased” in response to the previous question, please list (in
order of importance) what you believe are the principal reasons why prices changed.

II-6.

Report, as indicated below, your firm’s purchases (either directly or through a sales agent or
broker) of FSVs. Report based on delivery date, not order date.
(Quantity in number of valves, value in dollars)

Item
Purchases of product produced
in the United States:
Quantity

2005

2006

2007

Jan.-Sept.
2007

Jan.-Sept.
2008

Value
Purchases of product produced
in China:
Quantity
Value
Purchases of product produced
in all other countries:1
Quantity
Value
1

II-7.

Please identify these countries:

If the relative shares of your firm’s total purchases of FSVs 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

Increase/decrease

Reason

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – FSVs

Page 6

PART II.—TRADE AND RELATED INFORMATION--Continued
II-8.

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

II-9.

If your firm has purchased FSVs from more than one country, please explain the reasons for
doing so. Please specify by country, including the United States, and both subject and nonsubject
countries.

II-10.

Please indicate, in order of importance, what you believe have been the principal reasons for any
increases in U.S. imports of FSVs from China since 2005.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

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 FSVs (check all that apply,
noting the specific end uses if known)?
END USER (please describe end use:

)

DISTRIBUTOR (please describe end use:

)

Other (please describe:

)

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

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

III-4.

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

Percent of cost accounted for by FSVs

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

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

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

No change

Decreased

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

(c) How, if at all, did the change in Seasonal Energy Efficienty requirements (SEER) that took
effect in January 2006 affect your firm’s demand for FSVs at the time the change took effect and
since?

(d) How, if at all, has the downturn in the housing market affected your firm’s demand for FSVs?
Please indicate time period affected.

III-6.

(a)

Can other products be substituted for FSVs?
No

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

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(b)

For each possible substitute product listed above, please address below if they are
functional economic substitutes for frontseating service vales (i.e., can frontseating
service valves be replaced in their end use application by the substitute product without
loss of performance and price competitiveness)?
(i)
(ii)
(iii)

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

Page 9

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-6.

(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 FSVs?
No

III-7.

(a)

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

Does your firm currently purchase forged FSVs, or does your firm plan on buying forged
FSVs in the future? What are your reasons for doing so?
No—Please explain below:

(b)

Yes—Please explain below:

Under what circumstances (i.e., availability, price, quality) would your firm buy forged
valves?

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

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

(c)

How does the quality and price of forged FSVs compare to the quality and price of bar
stock valves?

III-8.

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

III-9.

Usually

Sometimes

Never

Do you know the manufacturer of the FSVs that you purchase?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-10. To your knowledge, are your buyers aware of and/or interested in the country of origin of the
FSVs you supply them?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-11. Have you made significant changes in your purchasing patterns (e.g., frequency) in the last three
years?
No

Yes-- Please describe.

III-12. How many suppliers do you generally contact before making a purchase?

III-13. 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.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-14. Are you aware of any new suppliers, either foreign or domestic, that have entered the market in
the last 3 years?
No

Yes--Please identify the firms.

III-15. Do you require your suppliers to become certified or prequalified with respect to the quality,
chemistry, strength, or other performance characteristic of the FSVs 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-16. 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-17. Since January 1, 2005, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their attempts to certify
or qualify their FSVs 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. Also, please
provide as an attachment to this questionnaire any documentation to the
FSV vendor notifying it of its failure to certify or qualify, or any
notification of disqualification you sent to the supplier.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

Page 12

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-18. (a)

For the factors listed below, please rate each in terms of its importance in your purchase
decision for FSVs.
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 .................
Availability of consigned inventory.
Frequency of price changes……….
Willingess to negotiate price or price
terms…………………...
Willingness of supplier to accept raw
material cost increase risk……..
Other:
........
........

SOMEWHAT
IMPORTANT

NOT
IMPORTANT

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

Page 13

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-18. (b)

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

III-19. Does your firm purchase FSVs on a consigned inventory basis?
No

Yes--

percent of purchases in 2007

Please identify the firms that offer your firm consigned inventory and specify the terms and
delivery schedules offered by each supplier on consigned inventory purchases and the
extent to which such inventories are important for your firm’s purchases of FSVs.
.

III-20. What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the quality of FSVs?

III-21. How often does your firm purchase the FSVs that are offered at the lowest price?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

Page 14

PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-22. Do the contract terms for FSVs (e.g., how prices are set and adjusted, and how raw material cost
fluctuations are addressed) differ between the domestic producer and those of importers from
China?
No

Yes--Please explain any specific differences in contract terms between U.S.
and Chinese FSV suppliers and the extent to which they are important
for your firm’s purchases of FSVs.

III-23. Please indicate your firm’s rating (if any) of defective parts per million (DPPMs) for each
supplier from which you purchased FSVs in 2007.

III-24. Please list the names of any firms you considered price leaders in the FSVs market during
January 2005-June 2008. 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.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-25. Please describe how the above firm(s) exhibited price leadership.

III-26. Does your firm purchase FSVs over the internet?
No

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

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

Page 16

PART IV.--PRODUCT 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 FSVs for which your firm has actual marketing/pricing
knowledge.
United States
China

IV-3.

Other country (Please specify:

)

Other country (Please specify:

)

Are FSVs 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
Other countries (specify)-Country-pair

China

United States
China
1

For any country-pair producing FSVs which are sometimes or never interchangeable, please explain
the factors that limit or preclude interchangeable use:

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

Page 17

PART IV.--PRODUCT COMPARISONS--Continued
IV-4.

Do you or your customers ever specifically order FSVs from one country in particular over other
possible sources of supply?
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 FSVs from these countries are
preferred over product from other countries (please note the specific
product in your response).

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

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

IV-6.

If you purchased FSVs 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 terms resulting in lower total cost of
FSVs, willingness to enter into consignment arrangements, willingness of suppliers to accept raw
material cost fluctuations or currency exchange risk, etc.

IV-7.

Please list in order of importance the major reasons why you believe subject imports have
increased substantially since January 2005:
(1)
(2)
(3)
Other factors or comments:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

Page 18

PART IV.--PRODUCT COMPARISONS--Continued
For the factors listed below, please rate how FSVs produced in each country you identified in
your response to the first question in Part IV compares with FSVs 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.

Inferior

Comparable

Superior

compared to
product from

Inferior

compared to
product from
Comparable

compared to
product from

Superior

Product from

Inferior

Product from

Comparable

Quality

Product from

Superior

IV-8.

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 ..............................
Availability of consigned inventory……
Frequency of price changes………….....
Willingness to negotiate price reductions.
Willingness to offer more favorable sales
terms………………………………………….
Willingness to assume foreign exchange
risk…………………………………………..
Other:

1

A rating of “superior” on lower price indicates that the first country generally has lower prices than the second
country.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

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PART IV.--PRODUCT COMPARISONS--Continued
IV-9.

(a)

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

(b)

Usually

Sometimes

Never

How often do imported subject FSVs meet minimum quality specifications for your uses
or your customers’ uses?
From China:
Always

(c)

Usually

Sometimes

Never

How often does FSVs imported from countries other than China meet minimum quality
specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses?
From:
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

Usually

Sometimes

Never

From:
Always

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - FSVs

Page 20

PART V.—SUPPLIER IDENTIFICATION
V-1.

No.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Please provide the names and addresses of your firm’s five largest suppliers of FSVs purchased
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 FSVs that each of
these suppliers accounted for in 2007.

Supplier’s name

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

Contact person

Area
code and
telephone
number

Share of
2007
purchases
(%)