Washington, DC — Today, WPC Technologies (“WPC”)  filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission, asserting that imports of strontium chromate from Austria and France are being sold in the United States at “dumped prices.” These unfair trade actions are alleged to have caused material injury to the U.S. strontium chromate industry.

The Petition alleges that improper and unfair pricing have enabled Austrian and French producers to export products into the United States at prices that are well below fair market value. The import data demonstrate that these tactics have enabled Austria and France to increase its volume of imports into the United States and to capture an ever-growing share of the U.S. strontium chromate market, taking sales directly from U.S. producers. The petitions filed today estimate dumping margins as high as 89%.

“The U.S. strontium chromate industry and its workers are suffering today as a result of dumped imports from Austria and France,” said Jeffrey S. Neeley, counsel to WPC  and a partner in the International Trade Practice at Husch Blackwell LLP. “We urge the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission to investigate these unfair trade practices and apply the remedies specified by U.S. law.”

WPC is headquartered in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, and is the sole remaining U.S. manufacturer of strontium chromate, used for the paints and coatings industry, and has operated in Wisconsin since 1975.  Mr. Neeley stated that “We believe that the Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission will take steps to preserve the U.S. strontium chromate industry by combating the unfair practices from Austria and France.”