09-3-2733 US purchase questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 09-3-2733; Expiration Date: 6/30/2011
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
SACCHARIN FROM CHINA

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by no later than Februray 5, 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 duty review investigation concerning saccharin from China (inv. No. 731-TA-1013
(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
Ioana Mic (202-205-3196).
Name of firm
Address
State

City

Zip code

World Wide Web address
Has your firm purchased saccharin (as defined in the instruction booklet) from any source (domestic or foreign) at
any time since January 1, 2003?

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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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire –Saccharin from China (731-TA-1013 (Review))

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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 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-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
saccharin from China into the United States or which are engaged in exporting saccharin from
China 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 saccharin?
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 saccharin?
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
Further information on this questionnaire can be obtained from Ioana Mic (202-205-3196,
[email protected]).
II-1.

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

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

PURCHASES OF PRODUCT PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES
Quantity1
Value
PURCHASES OF PRODUCT PRODUCED IN CHINA
Quantity1
Value
PURCHASES OF PRODUCT PRODUCED IN ALL OTHER COUNTRIES2
Quantity1
Value
1

If reporting quantities in any other measurement than “1,000 pounds,” please specify here:

2

Please name these other countries:

II-2.

If the relative levels of your firm’s purchases of saccharin from different sources (both domestic
and foreign) have changed since 2003 (the year the antidumping duty order under review became
effective), 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 saccharin from China before 2003?
No skip to (c)

(b)

Yes

If yes, has your pattern of purchasing saccharin from China changed since 2003?
No, our pattern of purchasing is essentially unchanged.
Yes, we discontinued purchases from China because of the order.
Yes, we reduced purchases from China because of the order.
Yes, but we changed the pattern of purchases from China for reasons other
than the order (please explain below).

(c)

Has your pattern of purchasing saccharin from nonsubject foreign sources changed since
2003 (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 saccharin (check all that apply,
noting the specific end uses if known)?
END USER (

)

DISTRIBUTOR (

)

Other

)

(

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

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

III-3.

III-4.

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

Percent of cost accounted for by saccharin

1.

1.

2.

2.

3.

3.

(a) If your firm is an end user of saccharin, has the demand for your firm’s final products
incorporating saccharin changed since 2003?
Increased

Unchanged

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

Decreased

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

Have there been any changes in the end uses of saccharin since 2003?
No

III-6.

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

III-7.

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.

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

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

(2)

(1)

(3)

(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 saccharin?
No

III-8.

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

Yes--Please explain.

Have there been any changes in the number or types of products that can be substituted for
saccharin since 2003?
No

Yes--Please explain.

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

Do you anticipate any changes in terms of the substitutability of other products for saccharin 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.

III-10. How has demand within the United States for saccharin changed since 2003?
Increased

Unchanged

Decreased

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

How has demand outside the United States for saccharin changed since 2003?
Increased

Unchanged

Decreased

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

III-11. Do you anticipate any future changes in saccharin 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 saccharin demand and/or factors affecting saccharin
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 2003 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 saccharin in the U.S. market since 2003?
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 saccharin (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 saccharin.
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are not required by law or regulation, but are by your
percent of all purchases of saccharin.
customers. This involves
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are required for other reasons (please specify these
percent of all purchases of saccharin.
reasons below). This involves

III-15. (a)

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

(b)

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

Has the emergence of new markets for saccharin since 2003 affected the business cycles or
conditions of competition distinctive to saccharin?
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 saccharin based on the producer of the saccharin 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 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 saccharin based on the country of origin of the saccharin 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 saccharin 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 in the last 5 years?
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
in the last 6 years?
No

(b)

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

Do you expect new saccharin 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 saccharin they sell to your firm?
No

Yes--

percent of purchases in 2008

Yes–all purchases

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

III-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 2003, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their attempts to certify or qualify
their saccharin 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 saccharin.
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 saccharin 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 saccharin?

III-29.

How often does your firm purchase the saccharin 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 saccharin market since
2003. 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 saccharin you are purchasing change?

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

Yes--Please describe, noting the estimated percentage of your firm’s total
purchases of saccharin in 2008 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. saccharin industry since 2003 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. saccharin 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 saccharin from China? 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 saccharin for which your firm has actual marketing/pricing
knowledge.
United States
China
Other countries (Please specify

IV-2.

)

Is saccharin 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

China

Other countries

United States
China
1

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

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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 saccharin from one country in particular over other
possible sources of supply?
No

IV-4.

Are certain grades/types/sizes of saccharin 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 saccharin 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 saccharin 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 saccharin produced in each country you identified in your
response to the first question in Part IV compares with saccharin 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 saccharin meet minimum quality specifications for your
uses or your customers’ uses?
Always

(b)

Usually

IV-8.

Rarely or never

How often does imported subject saccharin 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 saccharin 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 2003, has there been a change in the price of saccharin? If so, has the price of U.S.-produced
saccharin changed more or less than the price of imported saccharin from China?
No change in price
Prices have changed by the same amount
Price of U.S.-produced saccharin has changed relative to the price of saccharin from China
(b) If the price of U.S.-produced saccharin has changed relative to the price of saccharin from China,
the price of U.S.-produced saccharin 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 saccharin during
2003. 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 saccharin that each of these customers accounted for in 2008.

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
2008
and telephone
purchases
number
(%)