55 Chastain Road, Suite 100, Kennesaw, Georgia 30144

September 18, 2018

via www.regulations.gov

The Honorable Robert E. Flightier

United States Trade Representative 

Office of United States Trade Representative 

600 17th Street, N.W. 

Washington, D.C. 20006

RE: Docket Number: USTR-2018-0025: Exclusion Request for Water Filtration Parts 

(HTS 8421.99.0040); Section 301 Investigation: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to 

Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation

Dear Ambassador Lighthizer:

Quest Technologies dba Crystal Quest is a very small manufacturer of water filtration systems. 

We manufacture water filtration systems as our only line of business in Kennesaw, Georgia. 

Approximately seventy-five (75) percent of our products are manufactured using domestically 

sourced parts. However, the remaining twenty-five (25) percent of our water filtration parts are 

sources from China. And, about ninety-five (95) percent of those imported water filtration parts 

are only available from China.

Comparable products are only available in the US or from other countries if major 

infrastructures are implemented to facilitate reasonable priced products for the overall water 

filtration industry. Currently, the USA and other countries lacks the equipment infrastructures

to manufacture those parts needed to complete our line of products.

Crystal Quest will experience an economic hardship due to the additional ad valorem of 25 

percent on all water filtration parts from China. Based on the annual volume of all combined 

water filtration parts and accessories, the total tariffs on the next rounds of containers will 

result in an immediate reduction of our net profits before taxes by a significant amount. 

As a result, this event will cause a reduction in manufacturing jobs, sales jobs, access to 

financing options and / or higher financing costs.
55 Chastain Road, Suite 100, Kennesaw, Georgia 30144

The Honorable Robert E. Flightier 

RE: Docket Number: USTR-2018-0025 Request for Exclusion

September 14, 2018

Page 2

As a small business in the water filtration industry, it will not be competitive to increase 

consumer prices to mitigate the cost of tariffs. Price increases will result in the loss of long-term 

and new customers.

We are operating on a shoe-string budget. So, any internal cost cutting will severely impact our 

daily operations. The long-term impact of this untimely tariffs will result in net losses for our 

company, which ultimately reduces health competition in the water filtration industry.

Our water filtration parts and accessories are not a part of the Made in China 2025.

Attached to this letter is a combined list of all water filtration parts imported by our company 

under HTS 8421.99.0040. Please note that an exclusion form was completed for each part 

category illustrated on our list under file name “HTS 8421990040 - Quest Technologies dba 

Crystal Quest - Water Filtration Parts Combined List.pdf”

In summary, we sincerely request that your office approves the exclusion of tariffs for Quest 

Technologies dba Crystal Quest due to this untimely economic hardship.

Sincerely,

/s/ D C A

Damion Allen

Financial & Accounting Representative

Quest Technologies, Inc dba Crystal Quest

E-mail: damion.allen@crystalquest.com

Office: 770-951-5600 ext 115