Whirlpool's antidumping petition on Samsung and LG – relating to the alleged dumping of washing machines into the US by the latter two companies – has been given the green light to continue the investigation by the US International Trade Commission.
According to Whirlpool, the petition it filed in December last year outlines a “long-term, repeated pattern of pricing below cost by Samsung and LG that is injuring American washer manufacturers and threatening manufacturing jobs”, it said at the time.
The US International Trade Commission has said that all six of its commissioners voted in favour of continuing the investigation after it determined that there is “reasonable indication that a US industry is materially injured by reason of imports of large residential washers from China that are allegedly sold in the US at less than fair value”.
“As a result of the Commission’s affirmative determination, the US Department of Commerce will continue to conduct its investigation on imports of these products from China, with its preliminary antidumping duty determination due on or about 24th May, 2016,” a statement from the US International Trade Commission said.
Marc Bitzer, president and chief operating officer for Whirlpool Corporation said, "Simply put, beginning in 2013, Samsung and LG replaced their dumped washers from Korea and Mexico with dumped washers from China.Since then, Samsung and LG have blatantly ignored a previous U.S. government order by continuing to dump washers into the United States. At Whirlpool, we know that open, rules-based trade ensures the highest level of innovation and choice for consumers. Our ability to innovate, invest and continue to manufacture here in the U.S. is undermined when foreign competitors willfully defy U.S. government rulings. We have continuously monitored this situation during the past several years and have spent the past several months preparing this petition as the next step in an ongoing effort to prevent this serial dumping."
In 2013, the U.S. government found that Samsung and LG were unlawfully dumping large residential clothes washers exported to the United States from their production facilities in South Korea and Mexico. In response, Samsung and LG moved their washer production for the United States to China skirting the order.
Fire Safety Scandal
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