Titan Testifies Before ITC at Final Injury Hearing

Titan International Inc. recently testified during the U.S. International Trade Commission’s final injury hearing on Jan. 4 and is filing a post hearing brief.

The hearing follow’s the Department of Commerce’s decision to uphold earlier determinations in its anti-dumping investigation into certain pneumatic OTR tires from India and countervailing duty investigations into OTR tires from India and Sri Lanka.

The DOC found in its anti-dumping case that “mandatory respondents ATC Tires Private Ltd. and Balkrishna Industries Limited had not sold certain new pneumatic off-the-road tires into the United States at less than fair value.” As a result of this negative final determination, the investigation has been terminated.

In its CVD investigation, the DOC upheld its previous affirmative determination that “critical circumstances exist with respect to certain exporters from India and all exporters from Sri Lanka.”

As a result the DOC set subsidy rates accordingly. Final subsidy rates in the CVD investigation, however, are lower than previously announced during the preliminary determination.

According to Titan, the company is optimistic the ITC will issue a final affirmative determination on countervailing duties issued by the Department of Commerce.

“We are pleased that the U.S. Department of Commerce made a final affirmative determination in both the Indian and Sri Lankan countervailing duty cases. Titan and the United Steelworkers Union petitioned the ITC in January 2016 for relief from unfair trade practices. The rates are in the 5% range for Indian imported tires and 2.2% for Sri Lankan imports. Titan will review options once the final ITC outcome is known, which includes a chance to comment on any perceived errors, if identified, in the materials as released by the DOC,” said Paul Reitz, Titan president and CEO.

The International Trade Commission will make its final injury determinations in OTR investigations on Feb. 17, 2017.

McCarthy Tire Service recently opened a new in-house commercial wheel refinishing facility. According to the company, the facility has the ability to refinish over 1,000 wheels per day and technicians will utilize equipment for inspection, surface preparation, pre-treatment, and automated coating techniques at the facility.

“We're thrilled to unveil this wheel refinishing facility,” John McCarthy Jr., president of McCarthy Tire Service said. “This investment reflects our dedication to providing our customers with unparalleled efficiency and a one-stop shop for all their commercial tire and wheel needs. By streamlining the refinishing process, we can help fleets minimize downtime and maximize productivity.”