[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 207 (Friday, October 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60798-60799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21118]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-427-801, A-475-801]


Ball Bearings and Parts Thereof from France and Italy: Rescission 
of Antidumping Duty Changed-Circumstances Reviews

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: On March 2, 2007, in response to a request from an interested 
party, the Department of Commerce initiated a changed-circumstances 
review of the antidumping duty order on ball bearings and parts thereof 
from France. On March 9, 2007, the Department self-initiated changed-
circumstances reviews of the antidumping duty orders on ball bearings 
and parts thereof from Italy and the United Kingdom. We are now 
rescinding the changed-circumstances reviews for France and Italy 
because we have initiated administrative reviews covering the firms in 
question and intend to address any considerations arising from the 
changed-circumstances reviews on the orders on ball bearings and parts 
thereof from France and Italy in the context of the 2006/2007 
administrative review of these orders.

EFFECTIVE DATE: October 26, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin Case or Edythe Artman, AD/CVD 
Operations, Office 5, Import Administration, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-
3174 or (202) 482-3931, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Department of Commerce (the Department) published antidumping 
duty orders on ball bearings and parts thereof (ball bearings) from 
France, Italy, and the United Kingdom on May 15, 1989. See Antidumping 
Duty Orders: Ball Bearings, Cylindrical Roller Bearings, Spherical 
Plain Bearings, and Parts Thereof From France, 54 FR 20902 (May 15, 
1989), Antidumping Duty Orders: Ball Bearings and Cylindrical Roller 
Bearings, and Parts Thereof From Italy; 54 FR 20903 (May 15, 1989), and 
Antidumping Duty Orders and Amendments to the Final Determinations of 
Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Ball Bearings and Cylindrical Roller 
Bearings, and Parts Thereof From the United Kingdom, 54 FR 20910 (May 
15, 1989).
    On August 11, 2000, the Department revoked the antidumping duty 
order on ball bearings from Italy with respect to those produced by 
Somecat S.p.A. (SNFA Italy)\1\ and the order on ball bearings from 
France with respect to those produced by Societe Nouvelle de 
Fabrication Aeronautique S.A.S.U. (SNFA France). See Antifriction 
Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller Bearings) and Parts Thereof From 
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, and the 
United Kingdom; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative 
Reviews and Revocation of Orders in Part, 65 FR 49219 (August 11, 
2000). On July 12, 2001, the Department revoked the order on ball 
bearings from the United Kingdom with respect to SNFA Bearings Ltd. 
(SNFA UK). See Antifriction Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller 
Bearings) and Parts

[[Page 60799]]

Thereof From France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the United 
Kingdom: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews and 
Revocation of Orders in Part, 66 FR 36551 (July 12, 2001).
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    \1\ The Department had determined previously that Somecat 
bearings were marked SNFA Italy. See 
Antifriction Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller Bearings) and Parts 
Thereof From France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Romania, Sweden, and the 
United Kingdom; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative 
Reviews, 64 FR 35590 (July 1, 1999), and accompanying Issues and 
Decision Memorandum at Comment 1 in Section 11.B.
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    On January 9, 2007, SKF France S.A. and SKF Aerospace France S.A.S. 
(collectively SKF France) and SNFA France notified the Department of a 
change of ownership in SNFA France and requested the initiation of a 
changed-circumstances review of the order on ball bearings from France. 
In a separate filing on the same date, SKF Industries S.p.A. (SKF 
Italy) and SNFA Italy notified the Department of a change in ownership 
of SNFA Italy. On January 26, 2007, SKF UK Ltd. (SKF UK) and SNFA UK 
filed such a notification with respect to SNFA UK. Each notification 
stated that AB SKF, the parent SKF company, had purchased all 
outstanding shares of the SNFA companies through its subsidiary, SKF 
Holding France S.A., on July 4, 2006.
    We initiated a changed-circumstances review pursuant to the request 
by SKF France and SNFA France on March 2, 2007. See Ball Bearings and 
Parts Thereof from France: Initiation of an Antidumping Duty Changed-
Circumstances Review, 72 FR 9513 (March 2, 2007). On March 9, 2007, the 
Department self-initiated changed-circumstances reviews of the orders 
on ball bearings from Italy and the United Kingdom. See Ball Bearings 
and Parts Thereof from Italy and the United Kingdom: Initiation of 
Antidumping Duty Changed-Circumstances Reviews, 72 FR 10643 (March 9, 
2007). For each review, we have requested more detailed information 
from the merged SKF/SNFA entities. The entities have complied with our 
requests and Timken US Corporation, the petitioner in the 
investigations, has submitted comments on the information.
    On June 29, 2007, we initiated administrative reviews of the orders 
on ball bearings from France, Italy, and the United Kingdom for the 
period from May 1, 2006, through April 30, 2007. See Initiation of 
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews, Request for 
Revocation in Part and Deferral of Administrative Review, 72 FR 35690 
(June 29, 2007). After analysis of the quantity and value of the sales 
of ball bearings from France during the period of review, we selected 
SKF France as a respondent for individual examination in the 
administrative review of the order covering that merchandise. See 
``Memorandum to Laurie Parkhill from Thomas Schauer regarding Ball 
Bearings and Parts Thereof from France Respondent Selection'' dated 
August 14, 2007. After a similar analysis of sales of ball bearings 
from Italy, we selected SKF Italy as a respondent for individual 
examination in the review of the order covering ball bearings from 
Italy. See ``Memorandum to Laurie Parkhill from Thomas Schauer 
regarding Ball Bearings and Parts Thereof from Italy Respondent 
Selection'' dated August 14, 2007. We received no request to review the 
sales of SKF UK in the administrative review of the order on ball 
bearings from the United Kingdom.

Scope of the Order

    The products covered by these orders are ball bearings and parts 
thereof. These products include all bearings that employ balls as the 
rolling element. Imports of these products are classified under the 
following categories: antifriction balls, ball bearings with integral 
shafts, ball bearings (including radial ball bearings) and parts 
thereof, and housed or mounted ball bearing units and parts thereof.
    Imports of these products are classified under the following 
Harmonized Tariff Schedules of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings: 
3926.90.45, 4016.93.00, 4016.93.10, 4016.93.50, 6909.19.5010, 
8431.20.00, 8431.39.0010, 8482.10.10, 8482.10.50, 8482.80.00, 
8482.91.00, 8482.99.05, 8482.99.2580, 8482.99.35, 8482.99.6595, 
8483.20.40, 8483.20.80, 8483.50.8040, 8483.50.90, 8483.90.20, 
8483.90.30, 8483.90.70, 8708.50.50, 8708.60.50, 8708.60.80, 
8708.70.6060, 8708.70.8050, 8708.93.30, 8708.93.5000, 8708.93.6000, 
8708.93.75, 8708.99.06, 8708.99.31, 8708.99.4960, 8708.99.50, 
8708.99.5800, 8708.99.8080, 8803.10.00, 8803.20.00, 8803.30.00, 
8803.90.30, and 8803.90.90.
    As a result of recent changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, 
effective February 2, 2007, the subject merchandise is also 
classifiable under the following additional HTS item numbers: 
8708.30.5090, 8708.40.7500, 8708.50.7900, 8708.50.8900, 8708.50.9150, 
8708.50.9900, 8708.80.6590, 8708.94.75, 8708.95.2000, 8708.99.5500, 
8708.99.68, and 8708.99.8180.
    Although the HTSUS item numbers above are provided for convenience 
and customs purposes, written descriptions of the scope of these orders 
remain dispositive.
    For a listing of scope determinations which pertain to the orders, 
see the Scope Determination Memorandum from the Antifriction Bearings 
Team to Laurie Parkhill, dated May 29, 2007, which is on file in the 
Central Records Unit (CRU) of the main Commerce building, room B-099, 
in the General Issues record (A-100-001) for the 2005-2006 reviews.

Rescission of Reviews

    The mergers of the SKF/SNFA entities in France, Italy, and the 
United Kingdom occurred in July 2006, during the period under review in 
the 2006/2007 administrative reviews of the orders on ball bearings 
from those countries. Because SKF France and SKF Italy have been 
selected as respondents for individual examination in those reviews, we 
will be examining the impact of the mergers with respect to the sales 
that they, or their subsidiaries, made to the United States during the 
period of review and the effect that these mergers have had on the 
operations and management of the relevant firms for the purposes of 
determining, among other things, whether the SKF companies should be 
collapsed with their SNFA counterparts. Thus, we intend to address any 
considerations arising from the changed-circumstances reviews on ball 
bearings from France and Italy in the context of the administrative 
reviews for SKF France and SKF Italy. Accordingly, we are rescinding 
the changed-circumstances reviews with respect to the antidumping duty 
orders on ball bearings and parts thereof from France and Italy.
    We will incorporate the records of the rescinded reviews into the 
records of the appropriate administrative reviews.

    Dated: October 19, 2007.
David M. Spooner,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. E7-21118 Filed 10-25-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-S