[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 164 (Wednesday, August 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 51293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21560]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket No. 51-2000]


Foreign-Trade Zone 125--South Bend, IN; Application for Subzone 
Status; Audiovox Specialized Applications, LLC Plant (Motor Vehicle 
Audio/Video Products), Elkhart, Indiana

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the St. Joseph County Airport Authority, grantee of FTZ 
125, requesting special-purpose subzone status for the motor vehicle 
audio/video products manufacturing plant of Audiovox Specialized 
Applications, LLC (ASA) (a subsidiary of Audiovox Corporation), located 
in Elkhart, Indiana. The application was submitted pursuant to the 
provisions of 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 August 14, 2000.
    The ASA plant (8 acres/130,000 sq. ft.) is located at 23319 Cooper 
Drive, Elkhart (Elkhart County) Indiana, about 15 miles east of South 
Bend, Indiana. The facility (225 employees) is used to produce and 
distribute foreign-made motor vehicle audio and audio-visual products, 
including am-fm radio/cassette players, am-fm radio/compact disc 
players, compact disc players, speakers, video observation systems, TV/
VCR/DVD entertainment systems; and, flip down and integrated small 
video screens for export and the domestic market. The finished products 
are used in automotive, heavy duty/construction equipment, and marine 
product applications (some of ASA's products may also be for consumer 
use). The production process involves design, assembly, testing, and 
warehousing. Components purchased from abroad (ranging between 60 to 
95% of overall material value) used in manufacturing include: flexible 
wire, integrated circuits, printed circuit boards, transistors, fuses/
holders, CRT sockets, tuners, DC power cords, cables, roller guides, 
roof pods/speaker enclosures, mounting brackets, bushings, gaskets/
seals, AC adaptors, remote controls, mesh grilles, headphone/jacks/
covers, plates, fasteners, speakers, antennas and leads, housings, AM-
FM radio/cassettes, radios, video cassette players, compact disk 
players, color televisions (5, 9, 13 inch), microwave ovens, alarms, 
liquid crystal display modules, flexible monitors and 12" flat panel TV 
screens, cabinets, door locks, knobs, cam and reel gears, and idler 
plates (duty rate range: free-4.9%). Additional foreign-sourced 
finished products to be distributed domestically include: Color 
televisions, video cameras, public address systems, marine radios, 
microphones, rechargeable flashlights, installation kits, headphones, 
and 12 volt car vacuum cleaners (duty rate range: free-12.5%).
    FTZ procedures would exempt ASA from Customs duty payments on the 
foreign components used in export production. On its domestic sales, 
the company would be able to choose the duty rates that apply to 
finished motor vehicle audio and audio-visual products (duty free-4.4%) 
for the foreign inputs noted above. On ASA's automotive original 
equipment sales, the motor vehicle duty rate (2.5%) may be applied to 
the finished automotive audio/video products that are shipped in-bond 
to U.S. motor vehicle assembly plants with subzone status. The 
application indicates that subzone status 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 October 23, 2000. Rebuttal comments in 
response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be 
submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to November 6, 2000).
    A copy of the application and the accompanying exhibits will be 
available for public inspection at each of the following locations.

Office of the Port director, U.S. Customs Service-Chicago, 610 Canal 
Street, Chicago, IL 60607
Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, Room 4008, 14th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, 
NW, Washington, DC 20230-0002

    Dated: August 14, 2000.
Dennis Puccinelli,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-21560 Filed 8-22-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P