Comments Received

Attachment B

2008 Comments Received on Individual

Mandatory and Voluntary Surveys

CIR NAME: MA321T

Comments:

South Dakota should be included as an eastern state.   This would make your report consistent with the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory Analysis unit of the Northern Research station.  We track timber usage of the plains states of ND, SD, NB, and Kansas as well as all states east of these states.

Response:

We will include South Dakota as an Eastern State in the Current Industrial Report Series MA321T, Lumber Production and Mill Stocks.

CIR NAME: MA336G and M336G

Comments:

Did your office reach a decision on my suggestion, offered some time ago, to considering adding "commercial derivative aircraft" to the existing categories of "civil" and "military"?

Response:

Since our initial discussion we conducted some research regarding your suggestion to add a response category for Commercial Derivative Aircraft (CDA). CDAs are included in our Civil Aircraft product line. After speaking with our large respondents we determined that a breakout such as you describe would disclose proprietary information for individual respondents which we would be unable to publish. Therefore, we have decided not to ask respondents to supply these data in the Current Industrial Reports (CIR) program.

CIR NAME: MA334Q

Comments:

For "Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing", Test Equipment is large portion of the market and it is unclear where in the survey this data are included. Also, I recommend that "Packaging Equipment" be separated from "Parts for semiconductor manufacturing machinery" (Product code: 3332959500. Attached are equipment category definitions we follow as part of our industry association's data collection program.

Response:

We will address the issues you raised after the 2007 survey is published in late July. Before any new breakout can be adopted, we must look at whether the data can be published and the burden it imposes on the respondents.

We will be glad to work with you on developing a framework, which reflects the industry more accurately.

CIR NAME: MA334Q

Comments:

3332950500 5228 Parts for semiconductor manufacturing machinery, including packaging equipment Other semiconductor manufacturing machinery, including packaging equipment, boule and wafer manufacturing equipment, and parts

Response:

You made a suggestion about changing the wording of Parts for semiconductor manufacturing machinery, including packaging equipment.

At this time, we are unable to do this. Two industries are combined with the given description. This issue will have to be addressed later with the NAICS revisions.

CIR NAME: MQ334R

Comments:

How will Census classify Apple's iPhone and similar devices from other firms that have both computing and communications functions? Will their shipmemts appear in this CIR under the data for "Smart Handheld Devices"? Or on the CIR for communications equipment?

Response:

By definition, all cell phones are classified in communications.

CIR NAME: MQ334R

Comments:

• Does the "blade servers" category include the chassis, or just the

blades? If the chassis isn't included, where should that be reported?

• Clarify that mobile phones with PDA functions should be reported in comm.equipment (right?)

Response:

Blade servers should include the chassis AND the blades. Since computer chassis are stamped, a firm doing just computer chassis would go under NAICS 332116, Metal Stamping. If the firm does additional manufacturing other than stamping, it is classified in the industry of the finished product.

CIR NAME: MQ334R

Comments:

Shipments are to include “factory rebuilt machines” but there is no item code that identifies factory rebuilt machines. Create an item code(s) that identifies factory rebuilt machines.

Response:

I am concerned about adding this line item. In the 4th Qtr 2007, only 2 product lines and a 6-digit NAICS total were able to be published. All of the rest of the 334111 were D's. It will be very difficult for firms to differentiate between units that are refurbished and new for our survey. This would create a large burden on the respondent which might not be possible to meet. The disclosure issue and the additional response burden would make breaking out factory rebuilt machines difficult.

CIR NAME: MQ334R

Comments:

Special instructions state:

Parts — Report a component or subassembly in the parts category only if:

Response:

I agree that we could do an improvement upon this wording. Clarity of wording on the instructions for this piece would be helpful.

CIR NAME: MQ334P

Comments:

• Reference a specific document from CCIT and FCC so your users can

consult it.

• Expand description to "Central office switching equipment excluding ethernet routers"

• Expand description to "Private branch exchange switching equipment

(include IP-PBX and PBX gateways)

• Expand description to "All other carrier line equipment, including local loop equipment"

• Expand description to "External modems for POTS, ISDN, DSL, PSTN, excluding PC modems" (aren't these reported elsewhere?)

• Move "Fiber optic equipment" to above "All other carrier line

equipment", since much of carrier line equipment is fiber optic.

• Move "Wi-Fi public equipment" and "Wi Max equipment" below "other cellular equipment". Since these are not cellular, the current arrangement doesn't make sense.

• On the description of "radio station equipment" change to "…mobile

excluding cellular, broadcast, …"

• Add to the "your figure should exclude -- " section, a comment that non-communications satellites go in a different report

Response:

Many of the suggestions are changes we can easily make when we revise the Reference List for 2009. Being a quarterly, 2008 Q1 is already out and Q2 is getting ready to be printed. I have to look into your suggestion on IP- PBX and PBX gateways. It is possible that firms are putting this under other telephone switching and switchboard equipment. PC modems are internal and are on the printed circuit boards.

CIR NAME: MQ334P

Comments:

If quantity data is available, that would be good to have for the estimates. Also, it would be helpful to have a bridge that could link the new codes with the old codes.

Response:

• Quantity was removed from the MA334A, MA334Q, and MQ334P due to low quality response.

• Generally we don't publish a bridge code table on a yearly basis when only a few item codes are changed.

• If the content of an item code changes significantly, we will create a new item code and indicate that it is new or revised in the Reference Manual.

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