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**US Authorities Confirm Import Duties on Aluminium Printing Plates**
US authorities have announced that import duties will be imposed on approximately $100 million worth of aluminium printing plates, which have been deemed harmful to the domestic industry. The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has determined that the US industry is “materially injured” by imports from China and Japan, which the US Department of Commerce found to be sold at unfair prices and subsidized by the Chinese government.The issue began last year when Kodak raised concerns about the low pricing of these plates and called for tariffs. Kodak is currently the only domestic manufacturer of aluminium printing plates in the US.
The USITC confirmed its findings this week, stating that the Department of Commerce would issue a countervailing duty order for imports from China and antidumping orders for both China and Japan. Preliminary duties announced in May ranged from 87.81% to 171.12%, but recent revisions have set final duties at 91.83% for imports from Japan and a combined rate of 151.51% for those from China.
In response, Fujifilm’s North American Graphic Communication business expressed disappointment with the ITC’s decision. General manager Hidetoshi Kino stated that Fujifilm provides innovative and superior aluminium lithographic printing plates and would review the ITC’s decision, including the option of an appeal, once the rationale is published on November 12.
The original complaint highlighted ECO3 as the second-largest exporter of plates from China to the US, with Lucky Huaguang Graphics in third place. However, most of ECO3’s imports to the US are reportedly manufactured in Germany.
Import statistics reveal that the value of printing plates from Japan nearly doubled in 2022, reaching just under $88 million, while imports from China surged by 570% to nearly $17.5 million.
In 2019, Kodak sold its Chinese plate manufacturing facility to State-owned Lucky, which allowed Lucky Huaguang access to Kodak’s platemaking technology. Earlier this year, Fujifilm initiated legal action against Kodak, alleging that Kodak’s Sonora process-free plates infringe on Fujifilm’s patents.
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