TEXTILES.ORG
Auburn Manufacturing Inc. (AMI) has filed a petition with the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission requesting imposition of antidumping and countervailing duties on certain amorphous silica fabric from the People’s Republic of China.
AMI, Mechanic Falls, Maine-based maker of extreme-temperature fabrics, is the largest U.S. manufacturer of silica fabric and is the principal supplier of amorphous silica fabric to the U.S. Navy.
In a press release, AMI reports having lost a significant number of sales to Chinese imports due to increasingly low import prices. AMI says imports of silica fabric from China are being “dumped” in the U.S. at unfairly low prices, and says the Chinese government is providing unfair subsidies to Chinese producers of silica fabric.
As a result of lost sales, AMI claims decreased production, revenue and profits, and the company cites noncompliance with the Buy American Act (requiring more than 50 percent U.S.-made content), or the Berry Amendment, which generally requires textiles purchased with funds allocated by the Department of Defense to be 100 percent U.S. origin.
Auburn Manufacturing develops, manufactures, and markets textile products for welding protection, industrial insulation, safety apparel, gaskets and seals, and other.