Goss Withdraws From Antidumping Cases

By: Jim Rosenberg Five years after the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Goss Graphic Systems and its predecessor Graphic Systems Div. of Rockwell International had been harmed by the sale of unfairly priced large newspaper printing presses made in Germany and Japan, Goss has announced its withdrawal from antidumping cases pending before the DOC and ITC.

"Deeply disappointed" after weighing potential benefits and risks of fighting to keep the dumping orders in place, the company decided to withdraw rather than spend the time and money to fight its competitors' successful challenge to its continuing participation in administrative reviews of antidumping orders, according to Goss President Richard Sutis. Those competitors -- who had been socked with antidumping duties as high as 60% -- argued that when Goss closed its factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in August, it ceased to be a domestic manufacturer, and therefor lost standing to pursue the matter.

In an e-mailed message, Sutis stated: "We believe that the remaining operations in Cedar Rapids qualify Goss as a domestic producer. However, once we complete the shut-down of Cedar Rapids, Goss will lose its status as a domestic producer and be forced to withdraw from the Commerce case."

Commerce Department officials were unable to offer any immediate comment or information on the importers' challenge to Goss or the withdrawal's impact on imported double-wide presses.

Seeking to reorganize as Goss International after again seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Goss hopes to re-establish itself in the North American market on the strength of its ongoing and successful overseas press projects. The company continues to supply presses worldwide from plants in the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and China.