Titan somewhat 'disappointed' in ITC's OTR decision

QUINCY, Ill. (Feb. 25, 2016) — Titan International Inc. said it is disappointed that the International Trade Commission (ITC) decided not to pursue antidumping and countervailing duty investigations against mounted off-the-road tires from China.

According to a statement from the company, Maurice Taylor Jr., Titan chairman and CEO, said the company would review the ITC's full decision when it is released in the next few weeks and consider what actions it should pursue.

At the same time, Mr. Taylor said he was gratified that the commission made affirmative preliminary determinations Feb. 19 in the case of mounted and unmounted OTR tires from India and Sri Lanka.

“Our company and workers, and the industry in general, has been under attack by what we believe are unfairly trade imports from these countries,” Mr. Taylor said.

“While the investigation process is time-consuming, we are confident that our government will conduct a thorough investigation and determine the extent of the unfair trade practices that are harming Titan, its workers and other companies in the industry,” he said.

Titan and the United Steelworkers union filed petitions with the ITC Jan. 8 requesting antidumping and countervailing duties against Chinese, Sri Lankan and Indian OTR tire imports.

The tire maker and the union previously filed petitions against unmounted Chinese OTR tire imports in 2007. The ITC made a final determination of material injury the following year, and the Commerce Department levied high antidumping and countervailing duties that were renewed in 2014 after a routine five-year review.

In the current case, Commerce is expected to issue its preliminary countervailing duty decision on or about April 4, and its preliminary antidumping decision on or about June 16.