[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 236 (Wednesday, December 9, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67853-67854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-32727]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board
[Docket 54-98]


Foreign-Trade Zone 73--Baltimore/Washington International 
Airport, Maryland Application for Foreign-Trade Subzone Status: 
Northrop Grumman Corporation--Electronic Sensors and Systems Division 
(Electronic Sensoring, Processing, and Communications Technologies), 
Baltimore, MD, Area

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the Maryland Department of Transportation, grantee of 
FTZ 73, requesting special-purpose subzone status for the manufacturing 
facilities (telecommunication/information systems) of the Electronic 
Sensors and Systems Division (ESSD) of Northrop Grumman Corporation, 
located at sites in the Baltimore, Maryland, area. The application was 
submitted pursuant to the Foreign-Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 
U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the regulations of the Board (15 CFR part 400). It 
was formally filed on December 1, 1998.
    The Northrup Grumman ESSD facilities are located at eleven sites in 
the Baltimore, Maryland, area (404 acres, 3.6 million sq. ft.): Site 1 
(1 building/450,000 square feet on 43 acres)--Advanced Technology Labs, 
located at 1212 Winterson Road, Linthicum; Site 2 (10 buildings/1.7 
million sq. ft. on 129 acres)--main manufacturing site, located at 7323 
Aviation Boulevard, BWI Airport, Linthicum; Site 3 (4 buildings/14,000 
sq. ft. on 86 acres)--test ranges located at 7141 Ridge Road, Hanover; 
Site 4 (1 building/114,000 sq. ft. on 5 acres)--Material Acquisition 
Center, located at 7001 Aviation Boulevard, Glen Burnie; Site 5 (5 
buildings/274,000 sq. ft. on 49 acres)--located at 895 & 897 Oceanic 
Drive, Annapolis; Site 6 (1 building/182,000 sq. ft. on 35 acres)--
located at 7301 Sykesville Road, Sykesville; Site 7 (6 buildings/
120,000 sq. ft. on 5 acres)--warehouses located at Trident Court #6, 
Halethorpe; Site 8A (1 building/69,000 sq. ft. on 1.5 acres)--warehouse 
located at 7041 Troy Hill Drive, Elkridge; Site 8B (1 building/135,000 
sq. ft. on 3 acres)--warehouse located at 7040 Troy Hill Drive, 
Elkridge; Site 9 (2 buildings/105,000 sq. ft. on 5.6 acres)--repair 
center located in Hunt Valley; Site 10 (1 building/143,000 sq. ft. on 
11 acres)--located at 1745 W. Nursery Road, Linthicum; and Site 11 (2 
buildings/316,000 sq. ft. on 31 acres)--located at 1580B W. Nursery 
Road, Linthicum.
    The facilities (7,021 employees) are used for the development and 
manufacture of telecommunication and information systems products and 
related software for defense, aerospace, and transportation. Product 
categories include: combat electronic systems (including airborne 
radar, air defense, electronic warfare, electro-optical sensors, 
shipboard radar, sonar and anti-submarine warfare), airborne 
surveillance and reconnaissance, air traffic control, marine propulsion 
and power generation, ground-based and satellite telecommunications, 
information services and data automation. Some of the components used 
in the manufacturing process are purchased from abroad (an estimated 
10-15% of finished product value),

[[Page 67854]]

including processed silicon carbides; bolts; nails; metal aircraft 
mountings; coated rods and cored wire for soldering; machinery for 
molding rubber or plastic; other machinery; electrical transformers; 
speed drive controllers for electric motors; static converters; 
electrical ignition starting system parts; single line telephone sets; 
carrier-current line system apparatuses; sound recording apparatuses; 
pickup cartridges for sound or video recording or reproducing 
apparatuses; citizens-band transceivers; radar apparatuses; radio 
navigational aid apparatuses; video monitors; antennas/antenna 
reflectors/parts; radar apparatus printed-circuit assemblies or 
subassemblies; other audio/video components; parts of printed circuit 
assemblies of radar; radio navigational aid or radio remote control 
apparatuses; assemblies and subassemblies of radar apparatuses; parts 
of radar apparatuses; electrical apparatuses for switching or 
protecting circuits; signal generators; other electrical machines and 
apparatuses; parts of other electrical machines and apparatuses; 
coaxial cable and other electrical conductors; ignition wiring sets and 
other wiring sets; other electric conductors fitted with connectors; 
other electric conductors; other electrical parts; aircraft launching 
gear/deck-arrestors/parts; gauges; measuring or checking equipment; 
parts of measuring or checking equipment; and process control 
instruments and apparatus (duty rates on these items range from 0.1% to 
5.7%). The company also uses a number of foreign-sourced items that are 
duty free.
    Zone procedures would exempt ESSD from Customs duty payments on 
foreign components used in export production. FTZ procedures will help 
ESSD to implement a more cost-effective system for handling Customs 
requirements (including reduced brokerage fees and Customs merchandise 
processing fees). On its domestic sales, ESSD also would be able to 
choose the lower duty rate that applies to the finished products (duty-
free to 7.0%) for the foreign components noted above. FTZ status may 
also make a site eligible for benefits provided under state/local 
programs. The application indicates that the savings from zone 
procedures would help improve the plant's international 
competitiveness.
    In accordance with the Board's regulations, a member of the FTZ 
Staff has been designated examiner to investigate the application and 
report to the Board.
    Public comment on the application is invited from interested 
parties. Submissions (original and three copies) shall be addressed to 
the Board's Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing 
period for their receipt is February 8, 1999. Rebuttal comments in 
response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be 
submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to February 22, 1999.
    A copy of the application and the accompanying exhibits will be 
available for public inspection at each of the following locations:

Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, Room 3716, 14th and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20230
U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center, World Trade 
Center, Suite 2432, 401 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202

    Dated: December 1, 1998.
Dennis Puccinelli,
Acting Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-32727 Filed 12-8-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P