Saccharin from China - USITC

In order to obtain more information on purchasing decisions, firms were asked whetherpurchasing decisions are based mainly on price. Purchasers were instructed to answer “always,”“usually,” “sometimes,” or “never.” Five purchasers answered “usually,” six answered “sometimes,” andthree answered “never.” No firm answered “always.”Purchasers were also asked to report whether the factors shown in table II-4 are “veryimportant,”“somewhat important,” or “not important” in their purchasing decisions. The factors firmscited most often as “very important” were availability (13 firms), price (10) firms, product consistency(13 firms), quality meeting industry standards (13 firms), and reliability of supply (14 firms).Table II-4Saccharin: Importance of purchasing factors, as reported by U.S. purchasersVery important Somewhat important Not importantFactorNumber of firms respondingAvailability 13 1 0Delivery terms 3 9 2Delivery time 5 8 0Discounts offered 1 10 3Extension of credit 2 7 5Minimum quantity requirements 5 3 6Packaging 3 7 4Price 10 3 0Product consistency 13 1 0Product range 3 5 6Quality meets industry standard 13 1 0Quality exceeds industry standard 8 5 0Reliability of supply 14 0 0Technical support/service 5 5 4U.S. transportation 0 11 3Source: Compiled from data submitted in response to Commission questionnaires.Comparisons of Domestic Products and Subject Imports and Nonsubject ImportsTo determine whether U.S.-produced saccharin generally can be used in the sameapplications as imports from China and nonsubject sources, producers, importers, and purchasers wereasked whether the product can “always,” “frequently,” “sometimes,” or “never” be used interchangeably.As shown in table II-5, the majority of questionnaire respondents reported that the U.S.-produced productand imports from China are always or frequently interchangeable. Similarly, the majority ofquestionnaire respondents consider U.S.-produced saccharin and imports from China as always orfrequently interchangeable with nonsubject imports. One importer reported that the quality of theChinese product is suspect in certain applications. One purchaser also reported that the inferior quality ofthe Chinese product precludes interchangeable use. However, another purchaser reported that thedomestic producer and one Chinese manufacturer produce a very high quality material that is preferred inmetalworking and pharmaceutical applications. One purchaser reported that there is no interchangeabilityof saccharin made in the United States because, since 2006, there has been noII-5