ITC hammers UAE on nails

   The U.S. International Trade Commission on Thursday determined that imports of certain steel nails from the United Arab Emirates have materially injured the domestic steel nail industry.
   The case was brought before the ITC by Mid Continent Nail Corp., one of nine remaining domestic steel nail manufacturers. The case alleged that unfairly low-priced steel nail imports from the UAE have materially injured the U.S. industry.
   Prior to Thursday’s vote, the Commerce Department made a determination that imports of steel nails from the UAE were being sold in the United States at less than fair value, at margins up to 184.41 percent of the value of the goods.
   “Today’s vote by the commission confirms that the dumped UAE imports are injuring the domestic industry,” said law firm Wiley Rein LLP in a notice.
   Commerce will now issue antidumping duties on imports of steel nails from the UAE, with the order directing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits on steel nail imports from the Middle East country. CBP will also assess duties on all unliquidated entries of UAE-origin steel nails that were entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after Nov. 3, 2011, the date which Commerce published its preliminary determination.
   “UAE producers’ shipments surged into the U.S. market by almost 150 percent from 2008 to 2010, and significantly increased their market share by underselling U.S. producers by significant margins,” said David Libla, president of Mid Continent Nail. “This determination helps to reestablish a competitive playing field.”
   The petition covers certain steel nails up to 12 inches long that are produced from any type of steel. The steel nails included in the petition can have a variety of finishes, heads, shanks, points and sizes, and may be sold in bulk or collated into strips or coils using materials such as plastic, paper or wire.
   “Today’s decision allows the U.S. industry to start recovering from the harmful practices that the UAE industry has used in this market,” said Adam Gordon, a partner at Wiley Rein and counsel to Mid Continent.