[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 108 (Monday, June 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 35603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-14031]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 22-2000]


Foreign-Trade Zone 146--Lawrence County, IL; Application for 
Expansion of Manufacturing Authority--Subzone 146A, North American 
Lighting, Inc., Facilities, Flora and Salem, IL (Automotive Lighting 
Products)

    A application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the Bi-State Authority, grantee of FTZ 146, requesting 
an expansion of the scope of manufacturing authority to include new 
manufacturing capacity under FTZ procedures and requesting authority to 
expand the boundary of FTZ Subzone 146A at the North American Lighting, 
Inc. (NAL), facilities in Flora and Salem, Illinois. It was formally 
filed on May 30, 2000.
    Subzone 146A was approved by the Board in 1988 with authority 
granted for the manufacture of automotive lighting components and other 
related auto parts at NAL's manufacturing facilities (355,000 sq.ft./14 
acres) in Flora, Illinois (Site 1) (Board Order 371, 53 FR 5436, 2-24-
88). The subzone was subsequently reorganized and expanded to include 
NAL's second manufacturing facility (380,000 sq.ft./22 acres) in the 
Salem Industrial Park, Salem, Illinois (Site 2) (Board Order 718, 60 FR 
2375, 1-9-95), with the scope of FTZ manufacturing authority increased 
to 28 million units annually.
    The applicant is now requesting authority to expand the subzone 
boundaries to include an additional 300,000 square feet of 
manufacturing space within Site 1 and an additional 17-acre parcel and 
365,000 square feet manufacturing/warehouse space within Site 2. Under 
the current expansion plan, the NAL facilities' capacity will be 
approximately doubled (to 56 million units per year) with the addition 
of 665,000 square feet of production area. Activity at the facilities 
(2,200 employees) involves design, injection molding, plating and 
assembly of motor vehicle headlamps, rear combination lamps, high mount 
stop lamps, turn signals, dome and trunk lamps, fog lamps, side marker 
and license plate lamps using domestic and foreign-origin components. 
Foreign-sourced components and materials (about 19 percent of total 
purchases) include: various polymers and resins in primary form (HTSUS 
Ch. 39), articles of rubber and plastic, parts of lighting equipment, 
wiring harnesses, bulbs, gaskets/seals, fasteners, optical elements of 
glass, certain electrical apparatus, lamps and lenses, optical fiber 
and cable/bundles (duty rates: free-12.5%, 1.2 cents/kg+7.5%).
    FTZ procedures exempt NAL from Customs duty payments on the foreign 
components used in export production (9% of shipments). On its domestic 
sales, the company is able to choose the duty rates that apply to 
finished automotive lighting equipment and parts (duty free, 2.5%) for 
the foreign components noted above. The auto duty rate (2.5%) applies 
if the finished products are shipped via zone-to-zone transfer to U.S. 
motor vehicle assembly plants with subzone status. The request 
indicates that the savings from FTZ procedures will continue to help 
improve the facilities' 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 August 4, 2000. Rebuttal comments in 
response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be 
submitted during the subsequent 15-day period (to August 21, 2000).
    A copy of the application will be available for public inspection 
at the following location: Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-
Trade Zones Board, Room 4008, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street 
& Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230.

    Dated: May 30, 2000.
Dennis Puccinelli,
Acting Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-14031 Filed 6-2-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P