AWPA Wireline - FEBRUARY 2005

The US Commerce Department announced that it had omitted a Mexican producer from its original notice initiating administrative reviews of the antidumping orders against carbon and alloy steel wire rod for the period from October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004. The producer is Siderurgica Lazaro Cardenas las Truchase. These reviews will also cover the following producers and exporters:

Brazil - Companhia Siderurgica Belgo Mineira; BelgoMineira Participacao Industria e Comercio S.A.; and BMP Siderurgia

Canada - Ivaco Inc.; Ivaco Rolling Mills; and Ispat-Sidbec

Indonesia - P.T. Ispat Indo

Mexico - Hylsa Puebla

Trinidad and Tobago - Caribbean Ispat Limited

Switching to the AD order on stainless steel wire rod from India, the Commerce Department announced the preliminary results of its administrative review. The review covers three Indian manufacturers and exporters - Chandan Steel Ltd.; Isibars Ltd.; and the Viraj Group Ltd. - during the period from December 1, 2002 through November 30, 2003.

The Department has preliminarily calculated the following weighted average dumping margins:

Chandan Steel - 1.27%

Isibars Ltd (including its affiliated companies Zenstar Impex and Shaktiman Steel Casting PVt. Ltd) - 48.80%

The Viraj Group (including its affiliated companies Viraj Alloys and VSL Wires) - 0.00%.

In addition, the Department has preliminarily decided that the antidumping order should be revoked with respect to stainless steel wire rod produced and exported by Viraj Aloys Ltd and VSL Wires Ltd. The basis for this decision is that the Viraj Group was found not to be dumping in three consecutive administrative reviews and that the merchandise under review was sold in commercial quantities in all three review periods. If the Department makes a final decision to revoke the order with respect to Viraj, it would be effective for entries that were made on or after December 1, 2005.

The Department plans to complete this review by May 2005, and the current dumping duty deposit rates will remain in effect until the Department's final results are published in the Federal Register.