ITC supports Titan in fight against Chinese OTR tire imports
WASHINGTON-The U.S. International Trade Commission, in a preliminary vote, has backed Titan Tire International Inc.'s effort to get duties imposed on Chinese-made off-the-road tires.
The ITC ruled in a 6-0 vote Aug. 20 that imports of Chinese-made OTR tires to the U.S. are being sold at less than fair value, harming U.S. makers of such tires. The United Steelworkers union is supporting Titan's petition.
The Department of Commerce will continue its investigations of certain Chinese-made OTR imports to decide how much foreign subsidies are affecting the prices of the tires sold in the U.S.
The Commerce Department and the ITC must make positive determinations separately, followed by public hearings, before duties would be imposed.
The ITC will publish its findings Sept. 17.
Bridgestone to expand tire factories in Indonesia, India
TOKYO-Bridgestone Corp. said it will spend nearly $190 million to hike capacity for passenger and light truck tires at plants in India and Indonesia during the next two years.
In India, Bridgestone India Pvt. Ltd. will boost capacity almost 43 percent to 15,000 tires a day at its 9-year-old plant in Indore, primarily to meet domestic market demand, the company said. The project, which also will enhance the factory's capacity for larger diameter sizes, is budgeted at $52.6 million.
In Indonesia, P.T. Bridgestone Tire Indonesia will spend $136 million to expand daily capacity at its Karawang plant 45 percent to 27,000 tires, with an emphasis on high performance tires for export.
The projects are expected to be complete by 2010.