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From Home Furnishing Business
Classic Brands Issues Statement on Anti-Dumping Petition
April 23,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Specialty bedding manufacturer Classic Brands has issued the following statement in response to the decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce to initiate antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations related to the importation of mattresses from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam.
"We are disappointed that the Department has elected to initiate these investigations without first polling the domestic industry, as required by law. Because the Petitioners have failed to demonstrate that more than 50% of the domestic industry supports the petition, it is Classic's position that the Department should have determined whether the statutory thresholds for industry support were met by polling the industry, prior to initiating the investigations. As Classic argued before the Department prior to initiation, the Petitioners' methodology for calculating industry support, which relied on production figures for only 29 U.S. producers – significantly less than the 347 producers identified in the Petition – was flawed, and an inappropriate basis for gauging the level of support of the domestic industry.
While we strongly disagree with the initiation of these investigations, the company will continue to avail itself of all legal options to vigorously defend its position as the Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) move forward with their investigations.
Importantly, mounting a successful defense against the import duties sought by the Petitioners is critical at a time when raising costs for hospitals and healthcare providers could significantly hamper efforts to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We also believe that a vigorous defense is entirely consistent with the Administration's trade policy, which has promoted economic and national security cooperation with traditional U.S. allies in East Asia, several of which have been targeted by the Petitioners. The Administration has worked hard to encourage American companies to diversify their supply chains in the region, and these investigations undermine the growing commercial partnerships between companies like Classic and suppliers in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and other countries in the region."