[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 208 (Tuesday, October 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61393-61394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-27167]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 55-2003]


Foreign-Trade Zone 28--New Bedford, MA; Application for Foreign-
Trade Subzone Status: The Acushnet Company (Sporting Goods), New 
Bedford, MA Area

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the City of New Bedford (Massachusetts), grantee of FTZ 
28, requesting special-purpose subzone status for the warehousing and 
manufacturing facilities (sporting goods) of the Acushnet Company 
(Acushnet), located in the New Bedford, Massachusetts 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 October 17, 2003.
    The Acushnet facilities are located at five sites (133 acres total; 
1.4 million sq. ft. of enclosed space): Site  1--``Ball Plant 
II'' (34.4 acres; 183,000 sq. ft.)--located at 246 Samuel Barnett 
Boulevard in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts; Site  2--``Ball 
Plant III'' (32.0 acres; 175,000 sq. ft.)--located at 215 Duchaine 
Boulevard in New Bedford; Site  3--``Building C/Custom 
Operations'' (9.5 acres; 438,000 sq. ft.)--located at 700 Belleville 
Avenue in New Bedford; Site  4--``Fairhaven/Corporate 
Headquarters, Packaging, and Distribution'' (53.1 acres; 448,500 sq. 
ft.)--located at 333 Bridge Street in Fairhaven, Massachusetts; and 
Site  5--``Footjoy'' (4.3 acres; 165,158 sq. ft.)--located at 
144 Field Street in Brockton, Massachusetts.
    The facilities (approximately 1,900 employees) may be used under 
FTZ procedures for manufacturing, assembling, and processing golf 
footwear and golf balls, as well as packaging, warehousing, 
distributing, scrapping, and research and development activities for 
golf footwear, golf balls, golf gloves, golf outerwear, and other golf-
related accessories and equipment. For Acushnet's current 
manufacturing, foreign-sourced materials account for approximately 30 
to 40 percent of finished-product value. The application lists the 
categories of material inputs which may be sourced from abroad, 
including: Leather; clasps, buckles, etc.; other parts of footwear 
(includes outsoles); other made up articles (includes shoe bags); zinc 
oxide and zinc peroxide; ogano-sulfur compounds; prepared rubber 
accelerators; compound plasticizers;

[[Page 61394]]

prepared binders for foundry molds or cores; polymers of ethylene; and 
tungsten powders. Current duty rates for these input materials range up 
to 7.6 percent.
    Zone procedures would exempt Acushnet from Customs duty payments on 
foreign components used in export production. On its domestic sales, 
Acushnet would be able to defer duty payments, and to choose the lower 
duty rate that applies to the listed finished-product categories (duty-
free to 10 percent) for the foreign inputs listed above, among others. 
Acushnet would be able to avoid duty on foreign inputs which become 
scrap/waste, estimated at no more than 20 percent of imported inputs. 
The application also indicates that Acushnet may realize logistical/
procedural and other benefits from subzone status. All of the above-
cited savings from zone procedures could 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 is invited from interested parties. Submissions 
(original and 3 copies) shall be addressed to the Board's Executive 
Secretary at one of the following addresses:
    1. Submissions Via Express/Package Delivery Services: Foreign-
Trade-Zones Board, U.S. Department of Commerce, Franklin 
CourtBuilding--Suite 4100W, 1099 14th St., NW., Washington, DC 20005; 
or
    2. Submissions Via the U.S. Postal Service: Foreign-Trade-Zones 
Board, U.S. Department of Commerce, FCB--Suite 4100W, 1401 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20230.
    The closing period for their receipt is December 29, 2003. Rebuttal 
comments in response to material submitted during the foregoing period 
may be submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to January 12, 
2004.
    A copy of the application and accompanying exhibits will be 
available for public inspection at the Office of the Foreign-Trade 
Zones Board's Executive Secretary at address Number 1 listed above, and 
at the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center, One West 
Exchange Street, Providence, RI 02903.

    Dated: October 17, 2003.
Dennis Puccinelli,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-27167 Filed 10-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P