PUBLIC VERSION
industry due to low-priced imports, it simply does not make sense for domestic producers to invest in additional production capacity.
7. Exports Are Driven to the U. S. Market( 19 C. F. R. § 206.14( e)( 2)( iii))
The United States is the largest and most attractive market for foreign producers of QSP. Demand for QSP in the U. S. market has showed sustained growth for many years due to its improved aesthetic appeal, durability, stain and scratch resistance, heat tolerance, and antimicrobial properties compared to granite and marble surface products. 115 Indeed, multiple countries have exported QSP to the United States throughout the period, maintaining distribution networks and customer contacts and demonstrating their ability to penetrate the U. S. market. In addition to demand for QSP growing, the U. S. market is also attractive to foreign producers because U. S. homeowners spend significant amounts on home improvement projects, including kitchen renovations with new countertop surfaces, placing the United States among the top countries in the world in total dollars spent on home renovations. As confirmation of these basic facts, M S International, Inc.(“ MSI”), a leading U. S. distributor of QSP, touts that the Journal of Commerce has ranked it as“ One of the Top 20 Importers” based on the number of containers of imports it has made, including imports of“ quartz countertops.” 116
8. Changes in Levels of Prices, Production, and Productivity( 19 C. F. R. § 206.14( e)( 3))
U. S. imports of QSP have substantially undersold the domestic product throughout the period, with the levels of underselling increasing as imports surged from 2020 to 2024. 117 Price
115 See QSP from China Inv Final at I-11; see also QSP from India & Turkey Inv Final at I-13. 116 MS International Recognized as One of the Top 20 Importers In 2023, attached as Exhibit 16. 117 See Underselling Analysis, attached as Exhibit 18.
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