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Folks, Start Your Engines!

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 Over the last few weeks, we have been working with our legal team to prepare for our Sunset Review.  We are now at a place where we need your help!  Later this month we will host a webinar to unveil this Review’s templates to capture our production and sales records.  The templates are essentially unchanged from our last review.  So, I don’t expect a lot of confusion about the data we need, but it does represent a lot of work!

This Sunset Review could be much more challenging than our 2017 filing.  Our industry is strong.  Demand is up, lead times have been extended, and there have been huge investments made in plants, equipment, and people over the last ten years.  By some measure, it could be claimed that we are healthy and strong and ready to take on China without the duties.  However, we all know this is a ridiculous conclusion.

Instead, we will want to argue that the only reason our industry has recovered and prospered is the fact that the orders were in place, effective, and gave the industry the confidence it needed to invest in operations and technical resources.  Of course, this positioned our industry in a way that we could support and grow with the automotive industry as they move to aluminum.  In other words, the orders have been effective, are still effective, and without them our industry would crumble under the weight of the illegal and unfair trade activities of the Chinese.

This is a huge moment for us.  Winning this case guarantees our orders will remain in place for another five years.  The renewal will continue to build confidence in our domestic industry and allow us to continue the modernization we so desperately need.  So, losing this case is not an option.

We can’t win without your support.  Pulling together your data and then allowing Wiley to aggregate it into a filing is the central piece of our request.  No data equals no case.  The more data we can collect, the stronger our case.   Specifically, getting a very high percentage of the domestic industry in the process sends the signal to the Feds that we are motivated and unified in our demand that trade protection against China remain in place.

So, look for the announcement of the upcoming Sunset Review Webinar and plan on getting your team on the line so they can understand the templates, the process, and timeline.  The webinar will be recorded so you can view it at any time.  Also remember, the AEC staff can NOT see your data.  If you send it to me, I will delete it immediately.  It needs to run through the attorneys to protect your data and protect your staff from antitrust violations.

At the end of the day, we all win or lose together.  It is the way this works.  For over 10 years we have remained unified and steadfast in this matter.  I expect we will continue down this very successful path. 

Thank you for your past support and thank you in advance for the work you will be providing!


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