We feel these parties, especially Japan and South Korea, are dumping beams on the West Coast. We've watched and contemplated and watched and contemplated what to do. Under the terms of Nucor's partnership agreement with Japanese steelmaker Yamato, Nucor-Yamato couldn't file the trade case without the support of Nucor. Nucor owns 51 percent of the venture. Northwestern also is involved in a wire-rod trade case filed at the end of last year by a coalition of minimills.
Countries named in the case include Japan, South Korea, Spain, and South Africa.
Domestic consumption of wide-flange beams and piling products is about 4 million annual tons, while the capacity of domestic producers is about 3.7 million tons, Johns says. Last year, more than 2.1 million tons of these products were imported, says Michael Venie, Northwestern's senior vice president of sales and marketing. That compares to 562,535 tons in 1997. Japan, South Korea, Spain, and South Africa accounted for more than 1.6 million tons of these products in 1998. Japan and South Korea accounted for 85 percent of the increase, Venie says.