Notice of preliminary determination in an antidumping duty investigation of certain tapered roller bearings from the Republic of Korea (A-580-894)

1. On 2/2/2018, Commerce published in the Federal Register its affirmative preliminary determination of sales at less than fair value and postponement of the final determination in the antidumping duty investigation of certain tapered roller bearings from the Republic of Korea (Korea) (83 FR 4901). 2. The products covered by this investigation are certain tapered roller bearings. The scope covers all tapered roller bearings with a nominal outside cup diameter of eight inches and under, regardless of type of steel used to produce the bearing, whether of inch or metric size, and whether the tapered roller bearing is a thrust bearing or not. Certain tapered roller bearings include: finished cup and cone assemblies entering as a set, finished cone assemblies entering separately, and finished parts (cups, cones, and tapered rollers). Certain tapered roller bearings are sold individually as a set (cup and cone assembly), as a cone assembly, as a finished cup, or packaged as a kit with one or several tapered roller bearings, a seal, and grease. The scope of the investigation includes finished rollers and finished cones that have not been assembled with rollers and a cage. Certain tapered roller bearings can be a single row or multiple rows (e.g., two- or four-row), and a cup can handle a single cone assembly or multiple cone assemblies. Finished cups, cones, and rollers differ from unfinished cups, cones, and rollers in that they have undergone further processing after heat treatment, including, but not limited to, final machining, grinding, and/or polishing. Mere heat treatment of a cup, cone, or roller (without any further processing after heat treatment) does not render the cup, cone, or roller a finished part for the purpose of this investigation. Finished tapered roller bearing parts are understood to mean parts which, at the time of importation, are ready for assembly (if further assembly is required) and require no further finishing or fabrication, such as grinding, lathing, machining, polishing, heat treatment, etc. Finished parts may require grease, bolting, and/or pressing as part of final assembly, and the requirement that these processes be performed, subsequent to importation, does not remove an otherwise finished tapered roller bearing from the scope. Tapered roller bearings that have a nominal outer cup diameter of eight inches and under that may be used in wheel hub units, rail bearings, or other housed bearings, but entered separately, are included in the scope to the same extent as described above. All tapered roller bearings meeting the written description above, and not otherwise excluded, are included, regardless of coating. Excluded from the scope of this investigation are: 1) unfinished parts of tapered roller bearings (cups, cones, and tapered rollers); 2) cages, whether finished or unfinished; 3) the non-tapered roller bearing components of subject kits (e.g., grease, seal); and 4) tapered roller bearing wheel hub units, rail bearings, and other housed tapered roller bearings (flange, take up cartridges, and hanger units incorporating tapered rollers). Tapered roller bearings subject to this investigation are primarily classifiable under subheadings 8482.20.0040, 8482.20.0061, 8482.20.0070, 8482.20.0081, 8482.91.0050, 8482.99.1550, and 8482.99.1580 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Parts may also enter under 8482.99.4500. While the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and for customs purposes, the written description of the subject merchandise is dispositive. 3. This proceeding has been assigned case number A-580-894. 4. For imports of certain tapered roller bearings from Korea, CBP shall suspend liquidation of such shipments entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after 2/2/2018. Effective 2/2/2018, CBP shall require, for such entries, a cash deposit equal to the margins for the producer and/or exporter listed below: Producer and/or Exporter: Bearing Art Corporation/Iljin Bearing Corporation/Iljin Global Corporation Case number: A-580-894-001 Cash deposit rate: 45.53% Producer and/or Exporter: Schaeffler Korea Corporation Case number: A-580-894-002 Cash deposit rate: 21.23% All Others: Case Number: A-580-894-000 Cash Deposit Rate: 33.42% 5. If any entries of this merchandise are exported by a firm other than the producer, then the following instructions apply: A. If the exporter of the subject merchandise does not have its own rate but the producer has its own rate, the cash deposit rate will be the producer's rate. B. Where neither the exporter nor the producer has its own rate or the producer is unknown, use the all-others rate of 33.42 percent to establish the cash deposit rate. 6. If there are any questions by the importing public regarding this message, please contact the Call Center for the Office of AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce at (202) 482-0984. CBP ports should submit their inquiries through authorized CBP channels only. (This message was generated by OII:MR.) 7. There are no restrictions on the release of this information. Alexander Amdur