AEC  Past Chairman Duncan Crowdis At this point, the answer is an easy one – ABSOLUTELY.  There are several key metrics to consider. The first is where we are winning and where we are losing on the various decisions from the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the US International Trade Commission (ITC) that support our case that Chinese aluminum extrusions were being illegally imported. The second question is the one that really counts: whether the orders of the DOC on duties related to aluminum extrusion imports from China are effective. Let’s first look at the decisions of the DOC and ITC. The big win was the obvious one that culminated in the ITC decision in early 2011 that our industry was being injured by imported Chinese extrusions and then in April 2011 by the DOC that the Chinese producers were causing this injury through government subsidies and by “dumping” extrusions illegally into the U.S. Their decision to help “level the playing field” resulted in duties ...

AEC  Past Chairman Duncan Crowdis Fair trade cases like ours (AEC’s) generally do not involve a political process. The rules are relatively clear and the process is driven by various statutes. However, we were not naïve enough to believe that politics would not play some sort of role. After all, the support the Chinese industry receives is VERY politically charged. And here in the US, the fight is all about people, employment and jobs, clearly areas that our elected officials hold dear to the heart (or should!). While the two sides of the isle see the path to job creation somewhat differently, publically all of them claim this to be their primary focus. Therefore, as part of the trade case process, we have worked hard to reinforce and expand our political reach. We knew at the outset that there may be times when we would want or perhaps even need, to call on “our friends” to lend a little elbow-nudging weight from time to time. As it turns out, we have leveraged our po...

AEC  Past Chairman Duncan Crowdis In the last two blogs, we have talked about what it takes to be successful in a fair trade case such as the one the extrusion industry brought before the U.S. government. The process is long and arduous. It takes a focused commitment from the entire industry. And it takes money. On top of that, the drive must be maintained for the long run. This is not a sprint; it is a marathon. So, is it worth it? What’s at stake? As we mentioned in last week’s blog, the Chinese will NOT give up. They have extremely strong strategic, economic and political reasons to vigorously continue to fight this battle. The Chinese extrusion industry has built a capacity that far exceeds their current and future domestic need and, in fact, could supply a good part of the global requirement. Their desperate need to create employment significantly outweighs any supply/demand rational for this build-up in capacity. Once you buy the argument that the Chinese ex...