Link-Belt to fight US anti-dumping duties on crawler cranes

Duties in force, but not final

The Lexington, Kentucky manufacturer confirmed on 24 July that it intends to take the Commerce Department’s final anti-dumping determination on lattice boom crawler cranes (LBCCs) and LBCC assemblies from Japan before the US Court of International Trade. The duties are already being collected, but Link-Belt is stressing to buyers that a court challenge does not leave them without recourse.

If the manufacturer prevails, it says it would be entitled to seek refunds of cash deposits already lodged with US Customs. That distinction matters for crane owners and rental houses budgeting for machines ordered or delivered while the case runs, because the deposits are provisional rather than a settled cost.

Grounds for the challenge

Link-Belt’s objection goes to the substance of the Commerce Department’s calculation rather than to the trade case in principle. The company argues the determination is neither supported by the record nor consistent with the applicable law, and it has said it will make that argument in court.

“The Commerce Department’s analysis contains significant errors and runs afoul of the law.”

— Link-Belt Cranes, company statement

“We strongly dispute the determination and believe it is not supported by the facts or applicable law. We have full confidence in the merits of our case.”

— Link-Belt Cranes, company statement

What it means for buyers

Lattice boom crawlers are a core part of Link-Belt’s North American offering, sitting alongside its rough terrain, hydraulic truck, all terrain and telescopic crawler lines. Anti-dumping duties on imported crawlers and crawler assemblies therefore reach directly into the pricing of machines that pile-driving contractors, bridge builders and general crane rental fleets buy in volume.

The company has asked customers and partners to raise questions with it directly rather than work from assumptions about how the duties will be applied, and says it remains committed to supplying the US market while the case proceeds. Link-Belt has manufactured and sold cranes in North America for more than a century.

No timetable for the Court of International Trade proceedings has been given, and the duties stay in effect unless and until the court rules otherwise.

Source: Link-Belt — Photos: Link-Belt