The U.S. International Trade Commission recently determined there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of finished carbon-steel flanges from India, Italy and Spain that allegedly are sold in the United States at less than fair value and subsidized by the government of India.

In the Aug. 12 ruling, all six U.S. ITC commissioners voted in the affirmative. As a result of the commission’s affirmative determinations, the U.S. Department of Commerce will continue to conduct its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on imports of these products from India, Italy and Spain, with its preliminary countervailing duty determination due on or about Sept. 23, and its antidumping duty determinations due on or about Dec. 7.

This ruling is in response to Argo, Ill.-based Weldbend Corp., and Boltex Mfg. Co., two U.S.-based producers of carbon-steel flanges, filing recent petitions within the U.S. DOC and ITC charging that unfairly priced and subsidized imports of carbon-steel flanges from India, Spain and Italy are causing material injury to the domestic industry.

The antidumping and countervailing petitions seek the enforcement and compliance of Indian, Spanish and Italian manufacturers with U.S. and international trade laws. Boltex and Weldbend charge that unfairly traded imports of carbon-steel flanges from India, Spain and Italy are causing material injury to the American industry of carbon-steel flanges, as these foreign producers are selling their products in the American market at prices that are less than their fair value and are thereby significantly undercutting American market prices.

The countervailing duty petition also alleges the Indian government has given significant subsidies to the Indian carbon-steel flanges industry — to the severe detriment of American jobs and manufacturing.