(30) The Commission sent questionnaires to the sampled Union producers, the two Egyptian exporting producers that had come forward and the sampled exporting producers in the USA. The Commission published a questionnaire for importers and users in the Notice of Initiation. Questionnaires were also made available to unrelated traders outside the Union (see recitals 48 and 73). The same questionnaires were made available online (4) on the day of initiation.
(31) The Commission sought and verified all the information deemed necessary for a provisional determination of dumping, resulting injury and Union interest. Verification visits pursuant to Article 16 of the basic Regulation were carried out at the premises of the following companies:
Union producers
— INOVYN Manufacturing Belgium SA, Evere, Belgium
— Shin-Etsu PVC BV, Hilversum, Netherlands
— Vynova Belgium NV, Tessenderlo, Belgium (5)
Exporting producers in Egypt
— TCI Sanmar Chemicals S.A.E., Port Said
— Egyptian Petrochemical Company, Alexandria
Exporting producers in the United States of America
— Formosa Plastics Corporation, Livingston, Essex, New Jersey
— Westlake Chemicals, Houston, Texas
Unrelated trader
— Tricon Dry Chemicals, LLC, Houston, Texas.
1.8.
Investigation period and period considered
(32) The investigation of dumping and injury covered the period from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023 (‘the investigation period’). The examination of trends relevant for the assessment of injury covered the period from 1 January 2020 to the end of the investigation period (‘the period considered’).
2. PRODUCT UNDER INVESTIGATION, PRODUCT CONCERNED AND LIKE PRODUCT
2.1.
Product under investigation
(33) The product under investigation is the suspension polyvinylchloride (‘S-PVC’), not mixed with any other substance. The product concerned includes S-PVC only, it does not include emulsion polyvinylchloride (‘E-PVC’) (‘the product under investigation’).
(34) PVC is a manmade thermoplastic polymer. The primary raw material used in the production of PVC resins is Vinyl Chlorine Monomer (VCM) which is produced by the reaction of ethylene and chlorine to produce ethylene dichloride (EDC) and then transformed into VCM by thermal cracking. S-PVC is produced through suspension technology.
(35) PVC in its suspension form (S-PVC) is an industrial product used in a wide range of applications, for example in the manufacturing of pipes and fittings, films and foils, injection moulding and blow moulding.
2.2.
Product concerned
(36) The product concerned is the product under investigation originating in Egypt and in the United States of America (‘USA’) (‘the countries concerned’), currently classified under CN code ex 3904 10 00 (TARIC codes 3904100015 and 3904100080). (‘the product concerned’).
2.3.
Like product
(37) The investigation showed that the following products have the same basic physical, chemical and technical characteristics as well as the same basic uses:
— the product concerned when exported to the Union,
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