18-3-3978 US purchasers' questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 18-3-3978; Expiration Date: 6/30/2020
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
LAMINATED WOVEN SACKS FROM VIETNAM
This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by December 7, 2018
See last page for filing instructions.
The information called for in this questionnaire is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in
connection with its countervailing and antidumping investigations concerning laminated woven sacks from Vietnam (Inv.
Nos. 701-TA-601 and 731-TA-1411 (Final)). 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 John Benedetto (202-205-3270,
john.benedetto@usitc.gov).

Name of firm
Address
City

State

Zip Code

Website
Has your firm purchased laminated woven sacks (as defined on next page) from any source (domestic or foreign)
at any time since January 1, 2015?

NO

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

YES

(Complete all parts of the questionnaire, and return the entire questionnaire to the Commission)

Return questionnaire via the U.S. International Trade Commission Drop Box by clicking on the
following link: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/. (PIN: SACK)
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
submitting 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 conducted by
the Commission on the same or similar merchandise.
I, the undersigned, acknowledge that information submitted in response to this request for information and throughout this
proceeding or other proceedings may be disclosed to and used: (i) by the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract
personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits,
reviews, and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including under 5 U.S.C.
Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and contract personnel, solely for cybersecurity purposes. I understand that all
contract personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure agreements.
Name of Authorized Official

Title of Authorized Official

Date

Phone:
Signature

Email address

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

Page 2

PART I.—GENERAL INFORMATION
Background.--This proceeding was instituted in response to a petition filed on March 7, 2018, by the
Laminated Woven Sacks Fair Trade Coalition, which is comprised of Polytex Fibers Corporation (Houston,
Texas) and ProAmpac, LLC (Cincinnati, Ohio). Countervailing and/or antidumping duties may be assessed
on the subject imports as a result of these proceedings if the Commission makes an affirmative
determination of injury, threat, or material retardation, and if the U.S. Department of Commerce
(“Commerce”) makes an affirmative determination of subsidization and/or dumping. Questionnaires
and other information pertinent to this proceeding are available at
https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2018/laminated_woven_sacks_vietnam/final.htm
Laminated woven sacks covered by these investigations are bags consisting of one or more plies of
fabric consisting of woven polypropylene strip and/or woven polyethylene strip, regardless of the width
of the strip; with or without an extrusion coating of polypropylene and/or polyethylene on one or both
sides of the fabric; laminated by any method either to an exterior ply of plastic film such as biaxiallyoriented polypropylene (BOPP), polyester (PET), polyethylene (PE), nylon, or any film suitable for
printing, or to an exterior ply of paper; printed; displaying, containing, or comprising three or more
visible colors (e.g., laminated woven sacks printed with three different shades of blue would be covered
by the scope), not including the color of the woven fabric; regardless of the type of printing process
used; with or without lining; with or without handles; with or without special closing features (including,
but not limited to, closures that are sewn, glued, easy-open (e.g., tape or thread), re- closable (e.g.,
slider, hook and loop, zipper), hot-welded, adhesive-welded, or press- to-close; whether finished or
unfinished (e.g., whether or not closed on one end and whether or not in roll form, including, but not
limited to, sheets, lay-flat, or formed in tubes); not exceeding one kilogram in actual weight. Laminated
woven sacks produced in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam are subject to the scope regardless of the
country of origin of the fabric used to make the sack.
The scope of these investigations excludes laminated woven sacks having each of the following physical
characteristics: (1) no side greater than 24 inches, (2) weight less than 100 grams, (3) an open top that is
neither sealable nor closable, the rim of which is hemmed or sewn around the entire circumference, (4)
carry handles sewn on the open end, (5) side gussets, and (6) either a bottom gusset or a square or
rectangular bottom. The excluded items with the above-mentioned physical characteristics may be
referred to as reusable shopping bags.
Subject laminated woven sacks are currently classifiable under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United
States (HTSUS) subheadings 6305.33.0040 and 6305.33.0080. If entered with plastic coating on both
sides of the fabric consisting of woven polypropylene strip and/or woven polyethylene strip, laminated
woven sacks may be classifiable under HTSUS subheadings 3923.21.0080, 3923.21.0095, and
3923.29.0000. If entered not closed on one end or in roll form (including, but not limited to, sheets, layflat tubing, and sleeves), laminated woven sacks may be classifiable under other HTSUS subheadings,
including 3917.39.0050, 3921.90.1100, 3921.90.1500, and 5903.90.2500. If the polypropylene strips
and/or polyethylene strips making up the fabric measure more than 5 millimeters in width, laminated
woven sacks may be classifiable under other HTSUS subheadings including 4601.99.0500, 4601.99.9000,
and 4602.90.0000. Although HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs ppurposes,
the written description of the scope is dispositive.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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Quad seal bags are laminated non-woven bags, consisting of a flexible plastic inner layer, laminated to a
reverse printed BOPP or polyester outer layer, with or without a metallized layer, and with four
hermetically heat-sealed vertical edges.
Purchaser.--Any firm engaged, either directly or through a parent company or subsidiary, in purchasing
laminated woven sacks from another firm that produces, imports, or otherwise distributes laminated
woven sacks.
Confidentiality.--The commercial and financial data furnished in response to this questionnaire that
reveal the individual operations of your firm will be treated as confidential by the Commission to the
extent that such data are not otherwise available to the public and will not be disclosed except as may
be required by law (see 19 U.S.C. 1677f). Such confidential information will not be published in a manner
that will reveal the individual operations of your firm; however, general characterizations of numerical
business proprietary information (such as discussion of trends) will be treated as confidential business
information only at the request of the submitter for good cause shown.
Verification.-- The information submitted in this questionnaire is subject to audit and verification by the
Commission. To facilitate possible verification of data, please keep all files, worksheets, and supporting
documents used in the preparation of the questionnaire response. Please also retain a copy of the final
document that you submit.
Release of information.--The information provided by your firm in response to this questionnaire, as
well as any other business proprietary information submitted by your firm to the Commission in
connection with this proceeding, may become subject to, and released under, the administrative
protective order provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1677f) and section 207.7 of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR § 207.7). This means that certain lawyers and
other authorized individuals may temporarily be given access to the information for use in connection
with this proceeding or other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or
similar merchandise; those individuals would be subject to severe penalties if the information were
divulged to unauthorized individuals.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)
I-1.

Page 4

Establishments covered.--Provide the name and address of your U.S. establishment(s) covered
by this questionnaire, if different from that listed on the cover page. Firms operating more than
one establishment should combine the data for all establishments into a single response.
“Establishment”--Each facility of a firm involved in the purchase of laminated woven sacks,
including auxiliary facilities operated in conjunction with (whether or not physically separate
from) such facilities.

I-2.

Ownership.--Is your firm owned, in whole or in part, by any other firm?
No
Firm name

I-3.

Address

Extent of ownership
(percent)

Related importers/exporters.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or
foreign, which import laminated woven sacks into the United States or which export laminated
woven sacks to the United States?
No
Firm name

I-4.

Yes--List the following information.

Yes--List the following information.
Country

Affiliation

Related producers.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which
produce laminated woven sacks?
No
Firm name

Yes--List the following information.
Country

Affiliation

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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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
II-1.

Units of quantity.--Does your firm record quantities of laminated woven sacks by individual
sacks or by a weight measurement?
Individual
Sacks

Weight
Measurement If records are by weight, please report quantity data in this
questionnaire using the following conversion factor:
One short ton (907 kilograms) = 8,000 sacks

For example
If your records are in kilograms
You will first convert those data into
sacks (i.e., kilograms / 907 * 8,000)
Then to report those quantities in the
questionnaire you will divide the actual
number of sacks by 1,000 (i.e., so that
quantities are in 1,000 sacks)

Example data
15,000
132,304

132

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)
II-2.

Page 6

Purchases and imports.--Report separately your firm’s domestic purchases and imports of
laminated woven sacks.
“Purchase” – Purchase from a U.S. entity such as a U.S. producer, a U.S. importer, or other U.S.
firm.
“Import” – Purchase directly from a foreign supplier and your firm is the importer of record.
Quantity (in 1,000 sacks)
Calendar years
Item

2015

2016

January-September
2017

2017

2018

Purchases of laminated woven
sacks produced in-United States
Vietnam
All other countries1
Sources unknown
Total purchases

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Imports of laminated woven sacks
from-Vietnam
All other countries1
Total imports
1

Please identify these countries:
If your firm imported laminated woven sacks at any time since January 1, 2015, please also complete and
return a U.S. importers' questionnaire in this proceeding.
2

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)
II-3.

Page 7

Changes in purchasing patterns.--Please indicate how the shares of your firm’s purchases of
laminated woven sacks from different sources have changed since January 1, 2015.
Source of
purchases

Did not
purchase Decreased Increased Constant Fluctuated

Explanation for trend

United States
Vietnam
All other countries
Sources unknown
II-4.

Country knowledge.--Please indicate the countries of origin with which your firm has
experience or information in the laminated woven sacks market.
United
States

II-5.

Vietnam

Other
countries

Other countries (specify)

Supplier identification.--Please list your firm’s FIVE largest suppliers for laminated woven sacks
since January 1, 2015. Also, provide the share of the quantity of your firm’s total purchases of
laminated woven sacks that each of these suppliers accounted for in 2017.

No.

Supplier’s name

City and state

Share of quantity of
2017 purchases

1

%

2

%

3

%

4

%

5

%

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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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 laminated woven
sacks (check all that apply)?
End user:
Pet food

End user:
Animal
feed

Distributor

Other

Describe other

If your firm is a distributor of laminated woven sacks, please answer questions III-2 and III-3.
III-2.

Competition for sales.--Does your firm compete for sales to customers with the manufacturers
or importers from which your firm purchases laminated woven sacks?
No

III-3.

Yes

If yes, please describe.

Types of customers.--What are the major types of consumers to which your firm sells laminated
woven sacks?

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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If your firm is an end user of laminated woven sacks, please answer questions III-4 and III-5.
III-4.

End uses.--List the top 3 products your firm makes using laminated woven sacks and estimate
the percent of your total production cost that is accounted for by laminated woven sacks and by
other inputs (such as labor, energy, and other raw materials).
Share of total cost in each of the product(s) your
firm produces accounted for by
Product(s) your firm
produces

III-5.

Laminated woven
sacks

Total
(should
sum to
100.0%
across)

Other inputs
% +

%

=

0.0 %

% +

%

=

0.0 %

% +

%

=

0.0 %

End use market segments.--Please report whether your firm uses purchases of domestic
product or subject laminated woven sacks from Vietnam in the following end use products.

Pet food

Animal feed

Other

United States
Vietnam
III-6.

Demand for end-use products.-(a)

Has the demand for your firm’s final products incorporating laminated woven sacks
changed since January 1, 2015?
Increased

(b)

No change

Decreased

Fluctuated

Has this had any effect on your firm’s demand for laminated woven sacks?
No

Yes

Explain

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)
III-7.

Page 10

Substitutes.--Can other products be substituted for laminated woven sacks?
(a) Specific substitute.--Are quad sealed bag products considered as a substitute for laminated
woven sacks in the same end use(s)?
Are these
considered
substitutes in the
market?
Substitute

No

End use in
which this
substitute is
used

Yes

Have changes in the price of this substitute
affected the price for laminated woven
sacks?
No

Yes

Explanation

Quad seal bags
(b) If quad sealed bags are substitutable for laminated woven sacks in some applications, please
explain the impact, if any, of quad sealed bags on your purchases of laminated woven sacks
since January 1, 2015.

(c) Other substitutes.—Can other products not already listed in part “a” of this question be
substituted for laminated woven sacks?

Substitute
1.
2.
3.

End use in which this
substitute is used

Have changes in the price of this substitute
affected the price for laminated woven sacks?
No Yes

Explanation

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)
III-8.

Page 11

Demand trends.--Indicate how demand within the United States and outside of the United
States (if known) for laminated woven sacks has changed since January 1, 2015. Explain any
trends and describe the principal factors that have affected these changes in demand.
Overall
increase

Market

No
change

Overall
decrease

Fluctuate with no
clear trend

Explanation and
factors

Within the United Pet food
States
Animal
feed
Other
Outside the United States
III-9.

Country preferences.--Do you or your customers ever specifically order laminated woven sacks
from one country in particular over other possible sources of supply?
No

Yes

If yes, identify the countries and explain.

III-10. Importance of purchasing domestic product.--Please fill out the table below, estimating the
percentage of your firm’s total 2017 purchases of laminated woven sacks that required
laminated woven sacks produced in the United States.

Purchases that did not require domestic product
Purchases that were required by law or regulation to be domestic product
(e.g., government purchases under “Buy American” provisions)
Purchases that were not required by law or regulation, but were required by
your customers to be domestic product
Purchases that were required to be domestic product for other reasons
(explain:
)
Total (should sum to 100.0%)

Estimated percentage of
your firm’s total 2017
purchases of laminated
woven sacks
%
%
%
%
0.0 %

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-11. Conditions of competition.-(a)

Is the laminated woven sacks market subject to business cycles (other than general
economy-wide conditions) and/or other conditions of competition distinctive to
laminated woven sacks?

Check all that apply.

Please describe.

No

Skip to question III-12.

Yes-Business cycles (e.g.
seasonal business)
Yes-Other distinctive
conditions of competition
(b)

Have there been any changes in the business cycles or conditions of competition for
laminated woven sacks since January 1, 2015?
No

Yes

If yes, describe.

III-12. Decisions based on producer and country-of-origin.--How often does your firm, and if known,
do your customers, make purchasing decisions involving laminated woven sacks based on its
producer or country of origin?
Item

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

Decision based on producer
Your firm
Your customers
Decision based on country of origin
Your firm
Your customers

If at least sometimes, explain.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-13. Availability of supply.--Has the availability of laminated woven sacks in the U.S. market changed
since January 1, 2015?
Availability in the U.S.
Please explain, noting the countries and reasons for the
market
No Yes changes.
U.S.-produced product
Subject imports
Nonsubject imports
III-14. Supply constraints.--Has any firm refused, declined, or been unable to supply your firm with
laminated woven sacks since January 1, 2015 (examples include placing customers on allocation
or “controlled order entry,” declining to accept new customers or renew existing customers,
delivering less than the quantity promised, being unable to meet timely shipment commitments,
etc.)?
No

Yes

If yes, please describe.

III-15. Availability of specific product types.--Are certain grades/types/sizes of laminated woven sacks
only available from certain country sources?
No

Yes

If yes, please identify the countries and the grade/type/size.

III-16. Purchasing frequency.-(a)

How frequently does your firm make purchases of laminated woven sacks (check one)?
Daily

(b)

Weekly

Monthly

Quarterly

Annually

Other

Has this purchasing frequency changed since January 1, 2015?
No

Yes

If yes, please describe.

If other, specify

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-17. Frequency of design and feature change.
(a) How frequently does your firm request that suppliers change designs (e.g. image printed on
sacks) on laminated woven sacks (check one)?
Weekly

Monthly

Quarterly

Annually

Other

If other, specify

(b) How frequently does your firm request that suppliers change features (e.g. type of seal,
handles, etc.) on laminated woven sacks (check one)?
Weekly

Monthly

Quarterly

Annually

Other

If other, specify

III-18. Number of suppliers contacted.--How many suppliers does your firm generally contact before
making a purchase? Between
and
firms
III-19. Supplier negotiations.--Do your firm’s purchases of laminated woven sacks usually involve
negotiations between supplier and purchaser?

No

Yes

If yes, explain the factors your firm generally negotiates and note
whether your firm quotes competing prices during negotiations.

III-20. Change in suppliers.--Has your firm changed suppliers since January 1, 2015?

No

Yes

If yes, please list the supplier(s), whether the firm was added or
dropped, and the reasons for the change.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-21. New suppliers.--Are you aware of any new suppliers, either foreign or domestic, that have
entered the market since January 1, 2015?
No

Yes

If yes, please identify the firms.

III-22. Supplier qualification.--Do you require your suppliers to be or to become certified or qualified
to sell laminated woven sacks to your firm?
If yes, provide the following information.
 The number of days to qualify a new supplier.
 A general description of the certification or qualification process. Also, a brief
description of the factors that you consider when qualifying a new supplier (e.g., quality
of product, reliability of supplier, etc.).
(a)

No

(b)

No

Do you require the laminated woven sacks you purchase to be qualified to Food Safety
Modernization Safety Act standards?
Share of
your
Number
Yes purchases of days

Process and factors

Do you require the laminated woven sacks you purchase to be qualified to the Global
Food Safety Initiative certification level?
Share of
your
Number
Yes purchases of days

Process and factors

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-22. Supplier qualification.--Continued
(c) Do you require the laminated woven sacks you purchase to be qualified under any other
standards?

No

Yes

Number
of days Process and factors

III-23. Failure to certify.--Since January 1, 2015, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their
attempts to certify or qualify their laminated woven sacks with your firm or have any producers
lost their approved status?

No

Yes

If yes, please identify these firms, the countries where they are located,
and the reasons why they failed the certification/qualification.

III-24. Major purchasing factors.--Please list, in order of their importance, the main factors your firm
considers in deciding from whom to purchase laminated woven sacks (examples include
availability, extension of credit, contracts, price, quality, range of supplier’s product line,
traditional supplier, etc.).
1.
2.
3.
Please list any other factors that are very important in your purchase decisions:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-25. Purchasing factors.--Please rate the importance of the following factors in your firm’s
purchasing decisions for laminated woven sacks.

Factor
Availability
Bag seal type
Delivery terms
Delivery time
Discounts offered
Extension of credit
Minimum quantity requirements
Packaging
Price
Print quality
Product consistency
Product durability
Product range
Quality meets industry standards
Quality exceeds industry standards
Reliability of supply
Technical support/service
U.S. transportation costs

Very
important

Somewhat
important

Not
important

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-26. Quality characteristics.--What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the
quality of laminated woven sacks?

III-27. Minimum quality.--How often do laminated woven sacks 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
Vietnam
Other:
III-28. Frequency of decisions based on price.--How often does your firm purchase the laminated
woven sacks that are offered at the lowest price?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-29. 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 laminated woven sacks
market since January 1, 2015.
Firm(s)

Describe how the firm(s) exhibited price leadership

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-30. Purchasing subject imports rather than domestic products.—
(a)

Since January 1, 2015, did your firm purchase imports of laminated woven sacks from
Vietnam instead of U.S.-produced laminated woven sacks?
Source

Yes
(also respond to parts (b) and (c))

No
(If “No”, skip to next question)

Vietnam
(b)

If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was the imported product priced lower than the
domestic product?
Source

Yes

No

Vietnam
(c)

If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was price a primary reason for purchasing subject
imports rather than domestic product?

Source

Vietnam

Yes

If Yes, estimate the quantity
of imports purchased instead
of domestic product since
January 1, 2015
(in 1,000 sacks)

No

If No, please indicate the
reason your firm purchased
imports instead of domestic
product

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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III-31. U.S. producers and import competition.—
(a) Since January 1, 2015, in connection with a sale or offer to sell laminated woven sacks to
your firm, did U.S. producers reduce their prices of domestically produced laminated woven
sacks in order to compete with lower-priced imports of laminated woven sacks from
Vietnam?
Yes (also respond to
question part (b))

Source

No (If “No”, skip to next
question)

Don’t know

Vietnam
(b) If your firm responded “yes” to part (a), please provide an estimate of the reduction in U.S.
producers’ prices, and any additional explanations, such as timing (e.g., months/years),
frequency of price reductions, or other market/competitive factors.
Estimated
reduction in U.S.
prices
(percent)

Source
Vietnam

Additional explanation, including such information as
timing (e.g., months/years), frequency of price
reductions, or other market/competitive factors

%

III-32. Raw material prices.—
(a)

Is your firm familiar with the prices for raw materials used in the production of
laminated woven sacks?
No

(b)

Yes – please answer (b)

Has information on raw material prices affected your firm’s negotiations or contracts to
purchase laminated woven sacks since January 1, 2015?
No

Yes Explain

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

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PART IV.—PRODUCT COMPARISONS
IV-1.

Interchangeability.--Are laminated woven sacks 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

Vietnam

Cambodia

Honduras

Other countries

United States
Vietnam
Cambodia
Honduras
For any country-pair producing laminated woven sacks which is sometimes or never
interchangeable, please identify the country-pair and explain the factors that limit or preclude
interchangeable use:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)
IV-2.

Page 22

Factors other than price.--Are differences other than price (e.g., quality, availability,
transportation network, product range, technical support, etc.) between laminated woven sacks
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

Vietnam

Cambodia

Honduras

Other countries

United States
Vietnam
Cambodia
Honduras
For any country-pair for which factors other than price always or frequently are a significant
factor in your firm’s purchases of laminated woven sacks, identify the country-pair and report
the advantages or disadvantages imparted by such factors:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)
IV-3.

Page 23

Factor country comparisons.--For the factors listed below, please rate how laminated woven
sacks produced in each country you identified in your response to the first question in Part IV
compares with laminated woven sacks produced in each of the other countries you identified.

If you are unfamiliar with the product from a particular country, please leave the boxes for those
country comparisons blank.

Availability
Bag seal type
Delivery terms
Delivery time
Discounts offered
Extension of credit
Minimum quantity requirements
Packaging
Price1
Print quality
Product consistency
Product durability
Product range
Quality meets industry standards
Quality exceeds industry standards
Reliability of supply
Technical support/service
U.S. transportation costs1
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.

Inferior

Comparable

Product from
Vietnam compared
to product from
Nonsubject
countries

Superior

Inferior

Comparable

Superior

Inferior

Comparable

Factor

Superior

Product from
United States
compared to
product from
Vietnam

Product from
United States
compared to
product from
Nonsubject
countries

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

Page 24

PART V.—ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
V-1.

Other explanations.--If your firm would like to further explain a response to any question that
did not provide a narrative response box, please note the question number and the explanation
in the space provided below.

V-2.

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

Dollars

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
25 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering data, and
completing and reviewing the questionnaire.
We welcome comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate, suggestions for
reducing the burden, and any suggestions for improving this questionnaire. Please attach such
comments to your response or send to the Office of Investigations, USITC, 500 E St. SW,
Washington, DC 20436.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Laminated Woven Sacks (Final)

Page 25

HOW TO FILE YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE
This questionnaire is available as a “fillable” form in MS Word format on the
Commission’s website at:
https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/title_7/2018/laminated_woven_sacks_vietnam/fi
nal.htm
Please do not attempt to modify the format or permissions of the questionnaire
document. Please submit the completed questionnaire using one of the methods noted
below. If your firm is unable to complete the MS Word questionnaire or cannot use one
of the electronic methods of submission, please contact the Commission for further
instructions.
• Upload via Secure Drop Box.—Upload the MS Word questionnaire along with a scanned copy of the
signed certification page (page 1) through the Commission’s secure upload facility:
Web address: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/

Pin: SACK

• E-mail.—E-mail the MS Word questionnaire to John.Benedetto@usitc.gov; include a scanned copy of
the signed certification page (page 1). Submitters are strongly encouraged to encrypt nonpublic
documents that are electronically transmitted to the Commission to protect your sensitive information
from unauthorized disclosure. The USITC secure drop-box system and the Electronic Document
Information System (EDIS) use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 cryptographic
algorithms to encrypt data in transit. Submitting your nonpublic documents by a means that does not
use these encryption algorithms (such as by email) may subject your firm’s nonpublic information to
unauthorized disclosure during transmission. If you choose a non-encrypted method of electronic
transmission, the Commission warns you that the risk of such possible unauthorized disclosure is
assumed by you and not by the Commission.
If your firm does not purchase this product, please fill out page 1, print, sign, and submit a scanned
copy to the Commission.
Parties to this proceeding.—If your firm is a party to this proceeding, it is required to serve a copy of the
completed questionnaire on parties to the proceeding that are subject to administrative protective
order (see 19 CFR § 207.7). A list of such parties may be obtained from the Commission’s Secretary (202205-1803). A certificate of service must accompany the completed questionnaire your firm submits (see
19 CFR § 207.7). Service of the questionnaire must be made in paper form.