Large Newspaper Printing Presses and Components Thereof, Whether Assembled or Unassembled, From Japan: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Revocation in Part

AGENCY:

Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of final results of antidumping duty administrative review and revocation in part.

SUMMARY:

On October 9, 2001, the Department of Commerce published the preliminary determination to rescind the administrative review, in part, and to revoke the order, in part, and the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on large newspaper printing presses and components thereof, whether assembled or unassembled, from Japan. The review covers Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho, Ltd., a manufacturer/exporter of the subject merchandise to the United States. The period of review is September 1, 1999, through August 31, 2000.

No interested party submitted comments on our preliminary results. We have made no changes to the margin calculation. Therefore, the final results do not differ from the preliminary results. The final weighted-average dumping margin for Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho, Ltd. is listed below in the “Final Results of Review” section of this notice.

In addition, we have made a final determination to rescind the administrative review with respect to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., and to revoke the antidumping duty order with respect to Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho, Ltd.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

January 16, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David J. Goldberger, or Kate Johnson, Office 2, AD/CVD Enforcement Group I, Import Administration—Room B099, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-4136, or 482-4929, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Applicable Statute

Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), are references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective date of the amendments made to the Act by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. In addition, unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Department of Commerce's (the Department's) regulations are to 19 CFR part 351 (April 2000).

Background

This review covers one manufacturer/exporter, Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho, Ltd. (TKS).

On October 9, 2001, the Department of Commerce published in the Federal Register the preliminary results of administrative review of the antidumping duty order on large newspaper printing presses (LNPP) and components thereof, whether assembled or unassembled, from Japan (66 FR 51379) (Preliminary Results).

We invited parties to comment on the preliminary results of the review. TKS submitted a case brief on November 8, 2001. On December 4, 2001, TKS withdrew its case brief from the record of this review. No other interested party submitted comments. The Department has conducted this administrative review in accordance with section 751 of the Act.

Scope of the Order

The products covered by the order are large newspaper printing presses, including press systems, press additions and press components, whether assembled or unassembled, whether complete or incomplete, that are capable of printing or otherwise manipulating a roll of paper more than two pages across. A page is defined as a newspaper broadsheet page in which the lines of type are printed perpendicular to the running of the direction of the paper or a newspaper tabloid page with lines of type parallel to the running of the direction of the paper.

In addition to press systems, the scope of the order includes the five press system components. They are: (1) A printing unit, which is any component that prints in monocolor, spot color and/or process (full) color; (2) a reel tension paster (RTP), which is any component that feeds a roll of paper more than two newspaper broadsheet pages in width into a subject printing unit; (3) a folder, which is a module or combination of modules capable of cutting, folding, and/or delivering the paper from a roll or rolls of newspaper broadsheet paper more than two pages in width into a newspaper format; (4) conveyance and access apparatus capable of manipulating a roll of paper more than two newspaper broadsheet pages across through the production process and which provides structural support and access; and (5) a computerized control system, which is any computer equipment and/or software designed specifically to control, monitor, adjust, and coordinate the functions and operations of large newspaper printing presses or press components.

A press addition is comprised of a union of one or more of the press components defined above and the equipment necessary to integrate such components into an existing press system.

Because of their size, large newspaper printing press systems, press additions, and press components are typically shipped either partially assembled or unassembled, complete or incomplete, and are assembled and/or completed prior to and/or during the installation process in the United States. Any of the five components, or collection of components, the use of which is to fulfill a contract for large newspaper printing press systems, press additions, or press components, regardless of degree of assembly and/or degree of combination with non-subject elements before or after importation, is included in the scope of this order. Also included in the scope are elements of a LNPP system, addition or component, which taken altogether, constitute at least 50 percent of the cost of manufacture of any of the five major LNPP components of which they are a part.

For purposes of the order, the following definitions apply irrespective of any different definition that may be found in Customs rulings, U.S. Customs law or the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS): (1) The term “unassembled” means fully or partially unassembled or disassembled; and (2) the term “incomplete” means lacking one or more elements with which the LNPP is intended to be equipped in order to fulfill a contract for a LNPP system, addition or component.

This scope does not cover spare or replacement parts. Spare or replacement parts imported pursuant to a LNPP contract, which are not integral to the original start-up and operation of the LNPP, and are separately identified and valued in a LNPP contract, whether or not shipped in combination with covered merchandise, are excluded from the scope of this order. Used presses are also not subject to this scope. Used presses are those that have been previously sold in an arm's-length transaction to a purchaser that used them to produce newspapers in the ordinary course of business.

Also excluded from the scope, in accordance with the Department's determination in a changed-circumstances antidumping duty administrative review of the order which resulted in the partial revocation of the order with respect to certain merchandise, are elements and components of LNPP systems, and additions thereto, which feature a 22 inch cut-off, 50 inch web width and a rated speed no greater than 75,000 copies per hour. See Large Newspaper Printing Presses Components Thereof, Whether Assembled or Unassembled, from Japan: Final Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Intent to Revoke Antidumping Duty Order, In Part, 64 FR 72315 (Dec. 27, 1999). In addition to the specifications set out in this paragraph, all of which must be met in order for the product to be excluded from the scope of the order, the product must also meet all of the specifications detailed in the five numbered sections following this paragraph. If one or more of these criteria is not fulfilled, the product is not excluded from the scope of the order.

1. Printing Unit: A printing unit which is a color keyless blanket-to-blanket tower unit with a fixed gain infeed and fixed gain outfeed, with a rated speed no greater than 75,000 copies per hour, which includes the following features:

• Each tower consisting of four levels, one or more of which must be populated.
• Plate cylinders which contain slot lock-ups and blanket cylinders which contain reel rod lock-ups both of which are of solid carbon steel with nickel plating and with bearers at both ends which are configured in-line with bearers of other cylinders.
• Keyless inking system which consists of a passive feed ink delivery system, an eight roller ink train, and a non-anilox and non-porous metering roller.
• The dampener system which consists of a two nozzle per page spraybar and two roller dampener with one chrome drum and one form roller.
• The equipment contained in the color keyless ink delivery system is designed to achieve a constant, uniform feed of ink film across the cylinder without ink keys. This system requires use of keyless ink which accepts greater water content.

2. Folder: A module which is a double 3:2 rotary folder with 160 pages collect capability and double (over and under) delivery, with a cut-off length of 22 inches. The upper section consists of three-high double formers (total of 6) with six sets of nipping rollers.

3. RTP: A component which is of the two-arm design with core drives and core brakes, designed for 50 inch diameter rolls; and arranged in the press line in the back-to-back configuration (left and right hand load pairs).

4. Conveyance and Access Apparatus: Conveyance and access apparatus capable of manipulating a roll of paper more than two newspaper broadsheets across through the production process, and a drive system which is of conventional shafted design.

5. Computerized Control System: A computerized control system, which is any computer equipment and/or software designed specifically to control, monitor, adjust, and coordinate the functions and operations of large newspaper printing presses or press components.

Further, this order covers all current and future printing technologies capable of printing newspapers, including, but not limited to, lithographic (offset or direct), flexographic, and letterpress systems. The products covered by this order are imported into the United States under subheadings 8443.11.10, 8443.11.50, 8443.30.00, 8443.59.50, 8443.60.00, and 8443.90.50 of the HTSUS. Large newspaper printing presses may also enter under HTSUS subheadings 8443.21.00 and 8443.40.00. Large newspaper printing press computerized control systems may enter under HTSUS subheadings 8471.49.10, 8471.49.21, 8471.49.26, 8471.50.40, 8471.50.80, and 8537.10.90. Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, our written description of the scope of the order is dispositive.

Duty Absorption

On September 29, 2000, the petitioner requested that the Department determine whether antidumping duties had been absorbed during the period of review (POR). Section 751(a)(4) of the Act provides for the Department, if requested, to determine during an administrative review initiated two or four years after the publication of the order, whether antidumping duties have been absorbed by a foreign producer or exporter, if the subject merchandise is sold in the United States through an affiliated importer. In this case, TKS sold to the United States through an importer that is affiliated within the meaning of section 771(33) of the Act.

Because this review was initiated four years after the publication of the antidumping duty order, we will make a duty absorption determination in this segment of the proceeding. As we have found that there is no dumping margin for TKS with respect to its U.S. sales, we have also found that there is no duty absorption for purposes of the final results.

Rescission of Administrative Review

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) notified the Department that it had not made any U.S. sales or entries of subject merchandise during the POR. Accordingly, in the preliminary results, we made a preliminary determination to rescind this review with respect to MHI. As we have not received any comments on this determination, we are rescinding this review with respect to MHI.

Determination To Revoke Order in Part

The Department “may revoke, in whole or in part,” an antidumping duty order upon completion of a review under section 751 of the Act. While Congress has not specified the procedures that the Department must follow in revoking an order, the Department has developed a procedure for revocation that is described in 19 CFR 351.222. This regulation requires, inter alia, that a company requesting revocation must submit the following: (1) A certification that the company has sold the subject merchandise at not less than normal value (NV) in the current review period and that the company will not sell at less than NV in the future; (2) a certification that the company sold the subject merchandise in each of the three years forming the basis of the request in commercial quantities; and (3) an agreement to reinstatement of the order if the Department concludes that the company, subsequent to the revocation, sold subject merchandise at less than NV. See 19 CFR 351.222(e)(1). Upon receipt of such a request, the Department will revoke an order, in part, if it concludes that: (1) The company in question has sold subject merchandise at not less than NV for a period of at least three consecutive years; (2) the continued application of the antidumping order is not otherwise necessary to offset dumping; and (3) the company has agreed in writing to immediate reinstatement of the order if the Department concludes that the company, subsequent to the revocation, sold subject merchandise at less than NV. See 19 CFR part 351.222(b)(2).

In the preliminary results, we found that TKS met the requirements for revocation (see Preliminary Results). We received no comments on this determination. Accordingly, we have determined that the Department's requirements for revocation have been met. Based on the final results in this review and the final results of the two preceding reviews, TKS has demonstrated three consecutive years of sales at not less than NV. Furthermore, we find that TKS's aggregate sales to the United States have been made in commercial quantities during each of those years. In the particular situation of LNPPs, one sale, which may be worth millions of dollars, constitutes a commercial quantity. TKS had at least one sale in each of the three reviews. Finally, based on our review of the record, there is no basis to find continued application of the order is necessary to offset dumping.

Therefore, for the reasons discussed above, we find that TKS qualifies for revocation of the order on LNPPs which it produces and exports to the United States under 19 CFR 351.222(b)(2)(ii).

Final Results of the Review

Our final results remain unchanged from the preliminary results. The following weighted-average margin percentage applies to TKS for the period September 1, 1999, through August 31, 2000:

Effective Date of Revocation

This revocation applies to all entries of subject merchandise that are produced by TKS and that are also exported by TKS, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after September 1, 2000. The Department will order the suspension of liquidation ended for all such entries and will instruct the Customs Service to release any cash deposits or bonds. The Department will further instruct the Customs Service to refund with interest any cash deposits on entries made after August 31, 2000.

Assessment Rates

The Department shall determine, and the Customs Service shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. The Department will issue appraisement instructions directly to the Customs Service. In accordance with 19 CFR part 351.106(c)(2), we will instruct the Customs Service to liquidate without regard to antidumping duties all entries of the subject merchandise for which the importer-specific assessment rate is zero or de minimis (i.e., less than 0.50 percent).

This notice serves as a final reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this review period. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Secretary's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following deposit requirements shall be effective for all shipments of the subject merchandise from Japan that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the final results of this administrative review, as provided for by section 751(a)(1) of the Act: (1) Cash deposits for TKS will no longer be required and the suspension of liquidation will cease for entries made on or after September 1, 2000; (2) for previously investigated companies not listed above, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recent period; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, or the original investigation, but the manufacturer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recent period for the manufacturer of the merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other manufacturers or exporters of this merchandise will continue to be 58.69 percent, the all others rate made effective by the less-than-fair-value investigation. These requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until publication of the final results of the next administrative review.

This notice serves as the only reminder to parties subject to administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR part 351.305(a)(3). Timely written notification of return/destruction of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulation and the terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

This administrative review and notice are issued and published in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR part 351.221.