Senators call on Biden Administration to investigate aluminum extrusions trade practices

Thirteen senators have called on the Biden Administration to investigate and counteract trade practices in the aluminum extrusions industry.

In a letter addressed to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, the senators have expressed their support for antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) petitions filed by the U.S. Aluminum Extruders Coalition (USAEC), which seeks relief for manufacturers and workers competing with merchandise that is subsidized or dumped from other countries. The investigation covers imports of aluminum extrusions from China, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

“From 2019 to 2022, foreign imports from these countries increased by more than 40 percent, causing American producers’ share of the market to fall by 11 percent,” the letter says.

In October 2023, USAEC and the United Steelworkers (USW) union filed a petition concurrently with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). The petition asserts that increasing volumes of dumped and subsidized imports have made it difficult for U.S. extruders to grow their production and sales despite growing demand.

“The coalition employs thousands of workers… many of whom are already seeing the harm caused in reduced shifts, workforce downsizing and idling extrusion presses,” the letter says. “Using the trade enforcement mechanisms at our disposal to level the playing field for domestic producers will help counter unfairly traded aluminum extrusions, promote U.S. production, support good-paying jobs and strengthen our national security.”

USAEC consists of 14 extruders, including Alexandria Industries, Alexandria, Minnesota; Apel Extrusions Ltd., Coburg, Oregon; Bonnell Aluminum, Newnan, Georgia; Brazeway, Adrian, Michigan; Custom Aluminum Products Inc., South Elgin, Illinois; Extrudex Aluminum Corp., North Jackson, Ohio; Intex International Extrusions Inc., Garden City, Michigan; Jordan Aluminum Co., Memphis, Tennessee; M-D, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Merit Aluminum, Corona, California; MI Metals, Oldsmar, Florida; Pennex Advanced Aluminum Solutions, Wellsville, Pennsylvania; Tower Extrusions, Olney, Texas; and Western Extrusions, Carrollton, Texas.