Organization Name:

Note: Representatives submitting on behalf of an organization must enter information below.

Requestor Representative:

Section 301 Investigation: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology 

Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation - Form to Request Exclusion of Product

When submitting a product exclusion request using this form, enter the specified 

information in the following fields and explain the basis and rationale for your statements. 

By completing this form, you certify that the information provided is complete and 

correct to the best of your knowledge. 

1. Indicate whether the comment contains business confidential information (BCI), is a public

document, or is a public version of a BCI document.

3.

2. Please provide a complete and detailed description of the particular product of concern:

4.

*

10-digit HTSUS item number* for product you wish to address in this product exclusion request:

Use numerical characters only with no special characters (example: 1023456789). For help in finding

the HTSUS item number associated with your product, see https://hts.usitc.gov/

7.

5. Requestor's relationship to the product:

6. Does this submission in regulations.gov include additional attachments?

Please indicate whether any additional attachment contains business confidential information 

(BCI), is a public document, or is a public version of a BCI document.

Requestor Information

Requestor Name (Last, First):

VERSION 2 CONTINUED BELOW 1
8. Is this product, or a comparable product, available from sources in the United States? (If you

9. Is this product, or a comparable product, available from sources in third countries? (If you

10. Please provide the value and quantity (with units) of the Chinese-origin product of concern

that you purchased for each calendar year specified. Limit this figure to the products

purchased by your firm (or by members of your trade association) alone. Please provide

estimates if precise figures are unavailable.

2017 Value:

2016 Value:

2015 Value:

2017 Quantity:

2016 Quantity:

2015 Quantity:

% of your total gross sales in 2017 that the Chinese-origin product accounted for.

% of the total cost of producing the final product(s) the Chinese-origin input 

accounts for.

% of your total gross sales in 2017 that sales of the final product(s) incorporating 

the input accounted for.

VERSION 2 CONTINUED BELOW 2

indicate "NO", you must provide support for your assertion in Box 12).

indicate "NO", you must provide support for your assertion in Box 12).

11. Is the Chinese-origin product of concern sold as a final product or an input used in

a) For imports sold as final products, please provide:

b) For imports of inputs used in the production of final products, please provide:

the production of a final product or products?
12. Please provide information in support your request, taking account of the

VERSION 2 END 3

instructions provided in Section B of the Federal Register notice. If you

responded "NO" to Questions 8 or 9, you must provide support for your

assertion in the box below. (Note: text entered below can extend beyond the

apparent size of this box).
1

Robert Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc.– Addendum to the Exclusion 

Request

Response to Section 12:

Robert Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc. (“the Company or Bosch”) imports scale assemblies of 

various sizes, disassembled or only partly assembled, for final assembly post importation by Bosch. The 

component parts are further assembled, produced or manufactured by Bosch. The design and engineering 

work to develop the scale assemblies takes place at Owatonna, Minnesota. The design and engineering is 

utilized by a party unrelated to Bosch who is responsible for manufacturing the scale assemblies. 

Consistent with USTR's Section 301 notice, Bosch requests confidential treatment for the information 

designated as business confidential in this submission. Such information consists of information that 

would not customarily be released to the public, including business or trade secrets regarding production 

costs and processes, data on sales, product characteristics, customers, destinations, and other product, 

sales, and cost-related business secrets. Business confidential information has been indicated herein by 

enclosing it in single brackets (“[ ]”). A public version of these comments is also being filed with all 

confidential information removed.

A. Example of one of Robert Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc.’s Scale Assembly

B. Made in China 2025

To the best of our knowledge, the Company’s scale assembly does not benefit from the Chinese 

industrial policies and initiatives such as “Made in China 2025.” It is our understanding that the Made 

in China 2025 policy is focused on investment in robotics and other cutting edge technologies that 

take Chinese manufacturing capabilities forward and increase speed and efficiency against global 

competitors. Specifically, this program identifies, for example, priority sectors such as: information 

technology, robotics, aerospace and aviation, maritime engineering, advanced rail equipment, new 

energy vehicles, bio-medicine, high-performance medical devices and heavy agriculture machinery. 

This program is not directed at items using low or medium levels of technology. 

The item(s) at issue are not subject to Chinese governmental oversight, control or restriction. The

Bosch scale assembly is not strategically important to any Chinese industrial programs including 

Made in China 2025 and contains a medium level of technology. 
2

Finally, Bosch has not been required to provide any of its intellectual property or technology to China 

as part of the manufacturing of its finished good and none of the production processes utilize articles 

of interest in the Made in China 2025 program. 

The engineering and design associate with the scale assembly is only used under contract with 

Bosch’s supplier. The scale assembly is not subject to any industrial policy favoring local production 

at the expense of foreign made items. 

C. Background on Bosch United States Companies

The Bosch group of companies provide services and products in the areas of automotive and 

industrial technology, consumer goods and building technology. Having established a U.S. presence 

in 1906, the Bosch group of companies today employs more than 18,000 associates at facilities across 

the U.S. For example, Robert Bosch LLC has three dedicated Research and Development Centers 

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Sunnyvale, California; and Cambridge, Massachusetts) and manufacturing 

and other facilities in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and South Carolina. Other Bosch companies have 

facilities in Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina 

and Pennsylvania.

The U.S. has been a competitive location for the Bosch group of companies for many years. Bosch 

continues to actively grow in the U.S. and is planning future investments amounting to approximately 

$152 million to expand the plant in Anderson, South Carolina. This expansion will allow for an 

increase in production of automotive electronic components. Additionally, Bosch is working to 

develop a new Bosch Center for Artificial Intelligence research lab in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Bosch is also committed to supporting and empowering American workers. Associates at the various 

Bosch companies in the U.S. have access to a broad variety of training programs and skill-building, 

including apprenticeship programs at manufacturing facilities. These opportunities enable current 

employees and students to receive hands-on training and gain valuable experience while working at a 

Bosch site.

In addition, one of Bosch’s top priorities is to support the local communities where various Bosch 

companies operate through grants and volunteering efforts. Since its first grant in 2012, the Bosch 

Community Fund (“BCF”) has awarded more than $20 million to organizations and educational 

institutions across the U.S. In 2017 alone, the BCF provided 183 grants to various organizations in 40 

communities across the country. Bosch associates in the U.S. also volunteer tens of thousands of 

hours to benefit community organizations, including FIRST® Robotics and various other STEM 

educational programs.

D. Financial Hardship 

[ ]

E. Customs Enforceability

Bosch requests exclusion for its scale assemblies classified under USHTS 8423.82.0050. While 

imports from China under this subheading may continue to be subject to the additional duties under 

§301, we propose that the abovementioned product be excluded through the transmission of the 

USTR docket exclusion request number (eg. USTR-2018-0025-xxx), or through transmission of any 

unique exclusion approval number issued by the USTR. 
3

Upon approval of the exclusion, this information will be transmitted to all of our licensed and 

authorized customs brokers and Bosch’s internal systems will be updated to reflect the approved 

exclusion. Bosch, and its customs brokers, will have the ability to transmit the information through 

ACE via the data field for applicable ruling numbers. Bosch will also maintain information relevant 

to any granted exclusion within our internal parts database.

F. Conclusion

As addressed above, these products fall outside of high technology products that are the focus of the 

Made in China 2025 program. Additionally, neither Chinese investors nor the Chinese government 

sought to acquire our intellectual property, processes, procedures, tooling, or factory part resources. [ 

]

To the best of our knowledge, the information included herein is complete and accurate.