Mexican Firms Dumping Cement, Agency Charges

Mexican companies are dumping cement onto the U.S. market at less than fair value, the U.S. Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The finding clears the way for the International Trade Commission to determine if the products are harming U.S. industry. If the ITC, also a U.S. agency, finds that the Mexican products are damaging U.S. companies, the government can impose duties on the imports to make their prices comparable to those of U.S. firms. The ITC must act within 45 days.

Seven cement makers in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Texas filed a complaint last September, claiming that the Mexican companies are selling cement and another product called clinker at cut-rate prices.

The Commerce Department said gray portland cement is a hydraulic cement and primary component of concrete. Clinker, an intermediate material produced when manufacturing cement, is later ground into finished cement. Imports of both products totaled $111 million in 1989, the department said.

Filing the complaint were Southdown Inc. of Houston; Box Crow Cement Co. of Midlothian, Texas; Florida Crushed Stone Co., Brooksville, Fla.; Gifford-Hill & Co., Dallas; Ideal Basic Industries, Denver; Phoenix Cement Co., Phoenix, and Texas Industries Inc., Dallas.

They said that since 1983, nine cement plants have closed in Arizona, Florida, New Mexico and Texas. In 1988, they contended, Mexican imports accounted for 14% of the market in the three border states and 22% of the Florida market.