The US auto industry and its wide swath of OEMs are mobilizing again, according to a memo obtained Friday by Platts from the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), over a pending trade case on hot-rolled carbon steel imports.

Their target is the upcoming major flat-rolled steel trade case at the International Trade Commission – concerning a sunset review of antidumping and countervailing duty order on hot-rolled carbon steel.

Joining the carmakers, last fall MEMA lobbied the ITC hard with respect to corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products. The auto industry declared victory when orders were lifted for products from Australia, Canada, France, and Japan. For Germany and South Korea, the orders remained in place.

Now, in a memo sent late Thursday to members of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association (HDMA), the Original Equipment Manufacturers Association (OESA) and others, MEMA said it had filed for an appearance in the sunset review of antidumping and countervailing duty order on hot-rolled steel.

"This action was taken after members identified hot-rolled steel as critical to the manufacturing process," said the memo. "If your company purchases hot-rolled steel, I urge you to review this memo and become involved in this case."

Specifically, as required by law, the ITC has initiated a review of antidumping and countervailing duties placed on hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Romania, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine.

The products in question are defined as certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products "of a rectangular shape, of a width of 0.5-inch or greater, neither clad, plated, nor coated with metal and whether or not painted, varnished, or coated with plastics or other non-metallic substances, in coils (whether or not in successively superimposed layers), regardless of thickness, and in straight lengths, of a thickness of less than 4.75-mm and of a width measuring at least 10 times the thickness."