This month, our update is more forward looking than a review. All eyes are on the 232 Investigation and what policy decisions will come from the President when the report is issued to him later this month. The AEC will issue a trade alert as soon as we hear anything in this regard. This year, most of our Fair Trade efforts will be focused on trade enforcement. For several months we have collected data and have collaborated with others in an effort to identify those that are working to evade duties through circumvention and transshipment schemes. Members will see a series of announcements in this area in the coming weeks. Just last week, the AEC filed a new circumvention petition on Chinese extrusions being circumvented through Vietnam. Scope issues are still being pursued in the door threshold and curtain wall cases. Last year’s decision in the curtain wall case in our favor maintains the Curtain Wall Coalition ’s winning streak. However, as we ...
The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) has led the U.S. aluminum extrusion industry in achieving level competition by winning tariff protection that offsets unfair trade practices of extruders/importers of aluminum profiles produced in China. Our efforts have been of enormous value to domestic extruders and suppliers. Conservatively, an estimated 800 million pounds per year of extrusions are being produced in the U. S. that would have otherwise been lost to China.