Stillwater Can’t Find Speaker Sourcing Outside China, Despite ‘Exhaustive Attempts’

Stillwater Designs and Audio made “exhaustive attempts” to find contract manufacturers in the U.S. and in third countries able to source the speakers it imports from China and escape the 15 percent Section 301 List 4A tariff exposure to those products, said the vendor Tuesday in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative public docket. It filed separate tariff exclusion requests for speakers in their enclosures imported under the 8518.21.00.00 tariff code and speakers not mounted in their enclosures sourced under the 8518.29.80.00 subheading. Stillwater did find contract manufacturers “with potential to produce these goods," but none has "the capacity nor related infrastructure to support the volume,” it said. “Because these products and the technology required for production are considered run-of-the-mill, intellectual property infringement is a non-issue,” said the vendor. “The additional tariffs on these goods imported from China do not in any way influence the Chinese government to alter or change the policies and practices identified by USTR in its Section 301 Report. These goods simply have no connection to the targeted Chinese policies and practices identified in the USTR’s Section 301 investigation.” USTR is scheduled to roll back the List 4A tariffs by half Feb. 14. Importers that land tariff exclusions can qualify for refunds of duties paid retroactive to when List 4A took effect Sept. 1.