Win for Hunter business in anti-dumping Commission ruling

Win for Hunter business in anti-dumping Commission ruling

Local industry has had a win with the Federal Government imposing dumping duties on Romanian steel bar imports, says the Hunter company who brought allegations of dumping to the attention of the Anti Dumping Commission (ADC).

Milltech, a Hunter-based, locally owned, processor of engineering bar products made an application to the ADC in November 2015 alleging the dumping of Romanian and Italian hard chrome plated steel bar into the Australian market.

Milltech Managing Director Fred Reis said the ADC investigation is complete and it has determined that dumping by Romanian producers has occurred with dumping margins ranging between 22.4 per cent and 66.9 per cent. As a result, the Assistant Minister for Industry, Science and Innovation, Craig Laundy, has imposed dumping duties on Romanian hard chrome plated bar imports into Australia

Fred welcomed the finding by the ADC that the dumping is causing Milltech to suffer from a range of injury factors including loss of profits, price suppression, loss of revenue and loss of employment.

He said this was the first time Milltech had called for an ADC investigation.

“All we want is to be able to compete with any other manufacturer in the world on a level playing field,” Fred said. “We just want to be able to compete against imports that are sold here at the same price that they are sold in the producers own countries,” he said.

“Australian industries like Milltech have world leading technologies and highly skilled people who can compete with anyone in the world if there is fair competition.”

“This decision will help to secure local manufacturing jobs in a very tough manufacturing environment.”

Chrome plated bar products are used in applications such as hydraulics and pneumatics while the company’s other products are used in a diverse range of manufacturing and engineering applications.

Milltech was established in Newcastle in 1992 and employs 60 people in its Newcastle and Melbourne factories.

Fred said Milltech will now consider taking similar action against other low cost imports if it believes dumping is occurring.

Image | Fred Reis

Milltech

Hunter-based Milltech is Australia's leading and largest engineering bar processor, employing more than 55 people at sites in Newcastle and Melbourne.

Services include heat treatment, bar peeling, precision grinding, bright drawing, chrome plating, saw cutting and other processing. Milltech uses advance technology such as SUPERQUENCH continuous heat treatment line and MARCROME continuous chrome plating lines and offers quality product including MARBRITE engineering bar products.

Founded in Newcastle in 1992, Milltech opened a purpose-built facility, equipped with its own gas furnace, at Tomago in 2001. Its Hexham factory opened in 2004 to facilitate machining processes including bar peeling and precision grinding. In 2008 acquired Milltech acquired Martin Bright Steel. It moved into new bar treatment technology with the opening of an innovative induction line.

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