The ITC has issued a final ruling in a portion of the currently open trade cases filed against certain countries for the import of Grain Oriented Electrical Steel (GOES) products. The decision by the ITC on August 27 was found in favor of Germany, Japan and Poland and absolved them of import duties. The ITC is scheduled to make final injury determinations on the remaining cases against the Czech Republic, China, Korea and Russia on October 23rd.
A final ruling by the ITC is expected in October in the cases involving Non Oriented Electrical Steel (NOES). Preliminary rulings were already issued by the Commerce Commission in these cases earlier this year. Those rulings included suggested duties on these products; however, it is the final ITC ruling that is the final word on what, if any, duties will go into effect. There is varying opinion amongst industry insiders as to what the end result of the ITC ruling on the NOES cases will be. Some believe that the NOES cases are as compelling as the GOES cases while many also believe that the GOES final ruling may have some effect on the NOES rulings. No matter which way these cases are ultimately decided, Sko-Die is positioned well to ensure that we continue to bring the best solutions to bear in support of our customers / partners.
Sko-Die is a strong advocate of a robust domestic manufacturing sector. We believe that a healthy and vibrant manufacturing sector is a key factor in a strong overall economy. We recognize and support the strong domestic capability and capacity to produce these products and will continue to capitalize on this strength in support of all of our customer’s applications. We also recognize and appreciate the global options that exist for some Electric Steel products and will continue to offer those options to our customer where it makes sense. We will continue to support all of our customer’s efforts to maintain and expand their domestic manufacturing strategies and appreciate the ongoing opportunities to do so. Please stay tuned to us for details as these pending rulings are released and contact your Sko-Die representative should you have any questions.