13-3-3094 Purchaser Questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 13-3-3094; Expiration Date: 6/30/2014
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
AMMONIUM NITRATE FROM UKRAINE

This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by no later than January 24, 2012
See page 4 of the Instruction Booklet for filing instructions.
The information called for in this questionnaire is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in
connection with its review of the antidumping duty order concerning high-density ammonium nitrate (“HDAN”) from
Ukraine (Inv. No. 731-TA-894 (Second Review)). The information requested in the questionnaire is requested under the
authority of the Tariff Act of 1930, title VII. This report is mandatory and failure to reply as directed can result in a
subpoena or other order to compel the submission of records or information in your possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)).
Further information on this questionnaire can be obtained from Aimee Larsen (202-205-3179, aimee.larsen@usitc.gov).

Name of firm

_________________________________________________________________

Address
City

State

Zip Code

World Wide Web address
Has your firm purchased HDAN (as defined in the instruction booklet) from any source (domestic or foreign) at
any time since January 1, 2007?

NO

(Sign the certification below and promptly return only this page of the questionnaire to the Commission)

YES

(Read the instruction booklet carefully, complete all parts of the questionnaire, and return the entire
questionnaire to the Commission so as to be received by the date indicated above)

CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information herein supplied in response to this questionnaire is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge
and belief and understand that the information submitted is subject to audit and verification by the Commission.
By means of this certification I also grant consent for the Commission, and its employees and contract personnel, to use the
information provided in this questionnaire and throughout this proceeding in any other import-injury proceedings or reviews
conducted by the Commission on the same or similar merchandise.
I acknowledge that information submitted in this questionnaire response and throughout this proceeding may be used by the
Commission, its employees, and contract personnel who are acting in the capacity of Commission employees, for developing or
maintaining the records of this proceeding or related proceedings for which this information is submitted, or in internal audits and
proceedings relating to the programs and operations of the Commission pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3. I understand that all
contract personnel will sign non-disclosure agreements.

Name of Authorized Official

Title of Authorized Official

Date

Phone:
Signature

Email address
Fax

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire – HDAN from Ukraine

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PART I.—GENERAL INFORMATION
The questions in this questionnaire have been reviewed with market participants to ensure that issues of
concern are adequately addressed and that data requests are sufficient, meaningful, and as limited as
possible. Public reporting burden for this questionnaire is estimated to average 40 hours per response,
including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering the data needed,
and completing and reviewing the questionnaire. Send comments regarding the accuracy of this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the
burden, to the Office of Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20436.
I-1a.

OMB statistics.--Please report the actual number of hours required and the cost to your firm of
preparing the reply to this questionnaire and completing the form.
hours

dollars

I-1b.

OMB feedback.--We are interested in any comments you may have for improving this
questionnaire in general or the clarity of specific questions. Please attach such comments to your
response or send them to the above address.

I-2.

Establishments covered.--Provide the name and address of establishment(s) covered by this
questionnaire (see page 3 of the instruction booklet for reporting guidelines). If your firm is
publicly traded, please specify the stock exchange and trading symbol.

I-3.

Ownership.--Is your firm owned, in whole or in part, by any other firm?

I-4.

No

Yes--List the following information.

Firm name

Address

Extent of
ownership

Related SUBJECT importers/exporters.--Does your firm have any related firms, either
domestic or foreign, that are engaged in importing HDAN from Ukraine into the United States or
that are engaged in exporting HDAN from Ukraine to the United States?
No

Yes--List the following information.

Firm name

Address

Affiliation

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PART I.--GENERAL INFORMATION--Continued
I-5.

Related NONSUBJECT importers/exporters.--Does your firm have any related firms, either
domestic or foreign, that are engaged in importing HDAN from countries other than Ukraine into
the United States or that are engaged in exporting HDAN from countries other than Ukraine to
the United States?
No

Yes--List the following information.

Firm name and country

I-6.

I-7.

Address

Affiliation

Related producers.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, that are
engaged in the production of HDAN?
No

Yes--List the following information.

Firm name

Address

Affiliation

Business plan.--Does your company or any related firm have a business plan or any internal
documents that describe, discuss, or analyze expected market conditions for HDAN?
No

Yes--Please provide these documents. If you are not providing the requested
documents, please explain why not.

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PART II.--PURCHASES
Contact information.-- Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which Commission
staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted in this questionnaire.
Name
Title
Email
Telephone
Fax

II-1.

Purchases.--Report, as indicated below, your firm’s purchases (either directly or through a sales
agent or broker) of HDAN. Report based on delivery date, not order date.

Item
2007
Purchases of HDAN produced in-The United States:
Quantity
Value
Ukraine:
Quantity
Value
All other countries:1
Quantity
Value
1
Please identify these countries:

II-2.

Quantity (in short tons) and value (in $1,000)
2008
2009
2010
2011

2012

Changes in purchasing patterns.-- Please indicate how the relative levels of your firm’s
purchases of HDAN from different sources (both domestic and foreign) have changed
since 2007.
Source of
purchases
United States

Ukraine

All other
countries

Did not Decreased Increased Constant Fluctuated
purchase

Explanation for
trend

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PART II.--PURCHASES--Continued
II-3.

Purchases from one country only.--If your firm has purchased HDAN from only one country,
please explain the reasons for doing so.

II-4.

Supplier identification.-- Please list your firm’s FIVE largest suppliers for HDAN since 2007.
Also, provide the share of the quantity of your firm’s total purchases of HDAN that each of these
suppliers accounted for in 2012.

No.

Supplier’s name

City and state

Share of quantity of
2012 purchases

1

%

2

%

3

%

4

%

5

%

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES
III-1.

Firm type.--Which of the following best describes your firm as a purchaser of HDAN (check all
that apply)?
Farmer
Retailer
Wholesale distributor
Other (Describe:

III-2.

)

Competition for sales.--If you are a distributor or reseller of HDAN, do you compete for sales to
your customers with the manufacturers or importers from which you purchase HDAN?
No

Yes--Please describe

III-3.

Types of customers.--If your firm is a distributor or reseller of HDAN, what are the major types
of consumers to which you sell HDAN?

III-4.

End uses.--If your firm is an end user of HDAN, list in order of quantity of HDAN consumed, the
top 3 products for which your firm purchases HDAN as a component part or input. Please
indicate what percentage of the total cost is accounted for by HDAN and other inputs.

End use applications
you produce using
HDAN

Share of total cost in each of the HDAN(s)
you produce accounted for by
HDAN (percent)

Other inputs (percent)

Total

%

%

100%

%

%

100%

%

%

100%

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-5.

Demand for end use HDANs.-(a)

If your firm is an end user of HDAN, has the demand for your firm’s final products
incorporating HDAN changed since 2007?
Increased

(b)

Decreased

Fluctuated

Has this had any effect on your firm’s demand for HDAN?
No

III-6.

No change

Yes

Explain

Changes in end uses.-- Have there been any changes in the end uses of HDAN since 2007? Do
you anticipate any future changes?
Changes in end
uses

No

Yes

Explain

Changes since 2007
Anticipated changes

III-7.

Substitutes.--Can other products be substituted for HDAN?
No

Substitute
1.
2.
3.

Yes--Please fill out the table.
Applications/en
d uses in which
this substitute
is used

Factors that limit the
extent to which this
product may serve as
a substitute

Have changes in the prices of this
substitute affected the price for
HDAN since 2007?
No

Yes

Explanation

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-8.

Changes in substitutes.-- Have there been any changes in the number or types of products that
can be substituted for HDAN since 2007? Do you anticipate any future changes?
Changes in
substitutes

No Yes

Explain

Changes since 2007
Anticipated changes

III-9.

Demand trends.-- Indicate how demand within the United States and outside of the United States
(if known) for HDAN has changed since January 1, 2006, and how you anticipate demand will
change in the future. Describe the principal factors that have affected, and that you anticipate will
affect, these changes in demand.

Market

No
Increase change Decrease Fluctuate

Factors

Demand since 2006
Within
the United
States
Outside
the United
States
Anticipated future demand
Within
the United
States
Outside
the United
States

III-10. Market studies.--Please provide as a separate attachment to this request any studies, surveys, etc.
that you are aware of that quantify and/or otherwise discuss HDAN supply (including production
capacity and capacity utilization) and demand in (1) the United States, (2) each of the other major
producing/consuming countries, including Ukraine, and (3) the world as a whole. Of particular
interest is such data from 2007 to the present and forecasts for the future.

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-11. Changes in factors affecting supply.--Have any changes occurred in any other factors affecting
supply (e.g., changes in availability or prices of energy or labor; transportation conditions;
production capacity and/or methods of production; technology; export markets; or alternative
production opportunities) that affected the availability of U.S.-produced HDAN in the U.S.
market since 2007?
No

Yes

Explain

III-12. Importance of purchasing domestic HDAN.--Is buying a product that is produced in the United
States an important factor in your firm’s purchases of HDAN (check ALL that apply)?
No
Yes-- Purchases of domestic product are required by law or regulation (for example,
government purchases under “Buy American” provisions). This involves
percent
of all our purchases of HDAN.
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are not required by law or regulation, but are by our
customers. This involves
percent of all our purchases of HDAN.
Yes--Purchases of domestic product are required for other reasons (please specify these
reasons below). This involves
percent of all our purchases of HDAN.

III-13. Conditions of competition.-a) Is the HDAN market subject to business cycles or conditions of competition (including
seasonal business) distinctive to HDAN?
No (skip to question III-14.)

Yes-- Please describe and then answer part (b).

(b) If yes, have there been any changes in the business cycles or conditions of competition for
HDAN since January 1, 2007?
No

Yes-- Please describe.

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-14. Decisions based on producer.--Does your firm, and to the extent that you know, do your
customers make purchasing decisions involving HDAN based on the producer of the HDAN you
purchase?

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

If at least sometimes, discuss
how your firm/customers
determine the producer and why
this information is important

Your firm
Your
customers

III-15. Decisions based on country-of-origin.--Does your firm, and to the extent that you know, do
your customers make purchasing decisions involving HDAN based on the country of origin of the
HDAN you purchase?

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

If at least sometimes, discuss
how your firm/customers
determine the source and why
this information is important

Your firm
Your
customers

III-16. Purchasing frequency.-(a)

How frequently do you make purchases (check one)?
Daily

(b)

Weekly

Monthly

Quarterly

Annually

Other

If other, specify

Do you expect this purchasing pattern to change in the next two years?
No

Yes-- How and why do you expect these changes to occur?

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-17. Number of suppliers contacted.--How many suppliers do you generally contact before making a
purchase?
firms

III-18. Supplier negotiations.-(a)

Do purchases of HDAN usually involve negotiations between supplier and purchaser?
No

(b)

Yes--Please describe these negotiations, noting whether purchasers
generally quote competing prices as part of the negotiation
process.

Does your firm tend to vary its purchases from a given supplier within a specified time
period based on the price offered for that period?
No

Yes--Specify the time period.

III-19. Change in suppliers.--Have you changed suppliers since 2007?
No

Yes-- Please list the supplier(s), whether the firm was added or dropped, the
reasons for the change, and how frequently you change suppliers.

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-20. New suppliers.-(a)

Are you aware of any new suppliers, either foreign or domestic, that have entered the
market since 2007?
No

(b)

Yes--Please identify the firms and indicate how you became aware of
them.

Do you expect new HDAN suppliers to enter the U.S. market?
No

Yes--Please provide details.

III-21. Supplier qualification
(a) Do you require your suppliers to be or to become certified or qualified to sell HDAN to your
firm?
No

Yes--

percent of value of purchases in 2012

Yes--all purchases

(b) Please provide a general description of the certification or qualification process. Briefly
describe the factors that you consider when qualifying a new supplier (e.g., quality of product,
reliability of supplier, etc.)

(c) How long does it take to qualify a new supplier?

days

III-22. Failure to certify.--Since 2007, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their attempts to
certify or qualify their HDAN with your firm or have any producers lost their approved status?
No

Yes--Please identify these firms, the countries where they are located, and the
reasons why they failed the certification/qualification.

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-23. Purchasing factors.--For the factors listed below, please rate each in terms of its importance in
your purchase decision for HDAN.
Very
important
Availability .......................................
Delivery terms .................................
Delivery time ...................................
Discounts offered ............................
Extension of credit...........................
Price ................................................
Minimum qty requirements ..............
Packaging .......................................
Product consistency ........................
Quality meets industry standards....
Quality exceeds industry standards
Product range..................................
Reliability of supply .........................
Technical support/service ...............
U.S. transportation costs .................
Other (specify):
........
........
........

Somewhat
important

Not
important

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-24. Major purchasing factors.--Please list, in order of their importance, the three major factors
generally considered by your firm in deciding from whom to purchase HDAN for any one order
(examples include availability, extension of credit, contracts, price, quality, range of supplier’s
product line, traditional supplier, etc.).
1.
2.
3.
Other factors or comments:

III-25. Quality characteristics.--What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the
quality of HDAN?

III-26. Frequency of decisions based on price.--How often does your firm purchase the HDAN that is
offered at the lowest price?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-27. Price leaders.— A price leader is defined as (1) one or more firms that initiate a price change,
either upward or downward, that is followed by other firms, or (2) one or more firms that have a
significant impact on prices. A price leader is not necessarily the lowest priced supplier.
Please list the names of any firms you considered price leaders in the HDAN market since 2007.
Describe how the firm(s) exhibited price leadership.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - HDAN from Ukraine

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PART III.-- MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES--Continued
III-28. Changes in U.S. industry.-(a)

Please identify and discuss any improvements/changes in the U.S. HDAN industry since
2007 and explain the factors, including the order(s) under review, that were responsible
for each improvement/change.

(b)

Please discuss any improvements/changes that you anticipate in the future in the U.S.
HDAN industry. Identify the time period and causes for these improvements/changes.

III-29. Effect of revocation.--What do you think will be the likely effects of any revocation of the
antidumping duty order for imports of HDAN from Ukraine? As appropriate, please discuss any
potential effects of revocation of the antidumping duty order on (1) the future activities of your
firm and (2) the U.S. market as a whole (e.g. total U.S. supply and prices of HDAN). Please note
the future time period to which you are referring.
(1) Activities of your firm:

(2) Entire U.S. market:

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PART IV.-- PRODUCT COMPARISIONS
IV-1.

Country knowledge.--Please indicate the countries of origin for HDAN for which your firm has
actual marketing/pricing knowledge.
United States
Ukraine
Other countries (specify

IV-2.

)

Interchangeability by country-pair.--Is HDAN produced in the United States and in other
countries interchangeable (i.e., can they physically be used in the same applications)?
Please indicate A, F, S, N, or 0 in the table below:
A = the products from a specified country-pair are always interchangeable
F = the products are frequently interchangeable
S = the products are sometimes interchangeable
N = the products are never interchangeable
0 = no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair
Country-pair

Ukraine

Other countries

United States
Ukraine

For any country-pair producing HDAN that is sometimes or never interchangeable, please
explain the factors that limit or preclude interchangeable use:

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PART IV.-- PRODUCT COMPARISIONS--Continued
IV-3.

Factors other than price.--Are differences other than price (i.e., quality, availability,
transportation network, product range, technical support, etc.) between HDAN produced in the
United States and in other countries a significant factor in your firm’s purchases of the products?
Please indicate A, F, S, N, or 0 in the table below:
A = such differences are always significant
F = such differences are frequently significant
S = such differences are sometimes significant
N = such differences are never significant
0 = no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair
Country-pair

Ukraine

Other countries

United States
Ukraine

For any country-pair for which factors other than price always or frequently are a significant
factor in your firm’s sales of HDAN, identify the country-pair and report the advantages or
disadvantages imparted by such factors:

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PART IV.-- PRODUCT COMPARISIONS--Continued
IV-4.

Availability of merchandise.--Are certain grades/types/sizes of HDAN available from only a
single source (domestic or foreign, including both subject and nonsubject countries)?
No

IV-5.

Yes--Please identify the source and the grade/type/size.

Choice of HDAN not based on price.--If you purchased HDAN from one source although a
comparable product was available from another source at a lower price, please explain your
reasons for doing so (please specify by country, including the United States and both subject and
nonsubject foreign countries). Possibilities might include transaction characteristics such as
length of time to fill orders, minimum order size, reliability of supply, etc.

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PART IV.-- PRODUCT COMPARISIONS--Continued
Factor country comparisons.--For the factors listed below, please rate how HDAN produced in
each country you identified in your response to the first question in Part IV compares with HDAN
produced in each of the other countries you identified (including the United States and both
subject and nonsubject foreign countries).

Inferior

Comparable

HDAN from
Ukraine
compared to
HDAN from
Other countries

Superior

Inferior

HDAN from
United States
compared to
HDAN from
Other countries
Comparable

Inferior

Comparable

Superior

HDAN from
United States
compared to
HDAN from
Ukraine

Superior

IV-6.

Availability ...............................................
Delivery terms .........................................
Delivery time ...........................................
Discounts offered ....................................
Extension of credit...................................
Price1 .......................................................
Minimum quantity requirements ..............
Packaging ...............................................
Product consistency ................................
Quality meets industry standards............
Quality exceeds industry standards ........
Product range..........................................
Reliability of supply .................................
Technical support/service .......................
U.S. transportation costs1 .......................
Other (specify):

1

A rating of superior on price and U.S. transportation costs indicates that the first country generally has
lower prices/U.S. transportation costs than the second country.

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PART IV.-- PRODUCT COMPARISIONS--Continued
IV-7.

Minimum quality.--How often does HDAN from the following countries meet minimum quality
specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses?

Source

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or
never

Don’t
know

United States
Ukraine
Other:
Other:

IV-8.

Change in price.-(a)

Since 2007, has there been a change in the price of HDAN? If so, has the price of U.S.produced HDAN changed more or less than the price of imported HDAN from Ukraine?
No change in price
Prices have changed by the same amount
Price of U.S.-produced HDAN has changed relative to the price of HDAN from
Ukraine.

(b)

If the price of U.S.-produced HDAN has changed relative to the price of HDAN from
Ukraine, the price of U.S.-produced HDAN is now relatively
Higher

Lower – than those from Ukraine.