DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economic Development Administration
[Docket No. 40-83]
48 FR 55600
December 14, 1983
Proposed Foreign-Trade Zone; Polk County, Iowa, Within the Des Moines
Customs Port of Entry, With a Subzone at the Winnebago Plant in Forest City;
Application and Public Hearing
TEXT: An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board
(the Board) by the Iowa Foreign Trade Zone Corporation, an Iowa non-profit
corporation affiliated with the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce and
the Iowa Development Commission, requesting authority to establish a
general-purpose foreign-trade zone in Polk County, Iowa, within the Des
Moines Customs port of entry, and requesting special-purpose subzone status
for the vehicle manufacturing plant of Winnebago Industires, Inc., located
in Forest City, Iowa, some 120 miles from the Des Moines Customs port of
entry. The application was submitted pursuant to the provisions of the
Foreign-Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 CFR Part 400). It was formally
filed on November 28, 1983. The applicant is authorized to make this
proposal under Iowa Code Section 491.36 (1983). The question of "adjacency"'
for the subzone is being reviewed by the Customs Service.
The proposed general-purpose zone will be located on a 117-acre tract,
zoned for industrial/commercial activity, and located in the Greater Des
Moines area at 10400 Hickman Road within the communities of Clive and
Urbandale. It is within 2 miles of the I-35 and I-80 interchange, and
contains warehousing facilities. The zone will be operated by the
Centennial Warehousing Corporation.
The application contains evidence of the need for zone services in the
Des Moines area. A number of firms have indicated an interest in using the
zone for the repair of machinery and for warehousing/distribution of plastic
molding equipment, chemical products, wicker products, animal health
supplies, pharmaceutical products, clothing, gloves, ink, and spices.
Specific manufacturing requests are not being made at this time. Requests
would be made to the Board on a case-by-case basis.
The proposed subzone will be for the manufacturing facilities of
Winnebago Industries, Inc., which cover 240 acres in Forest City, Iowa. It
will involve the company's North Plant at Highways 9 and 69, and its South
Plant at 4th Street and Crystal Lake Road. The facilities produce full and
down-sized recreational vehicles. Although the larger vehicles are assembled
entirely from domestic components, the down-sized ones are build on cab/
chassis that are purchased from foreign sources as knocked-down kits, which
account for about one-third of the vehicles' final value. The Forest City
facilities are used to assemble the kits, to build the body, and to complete
the vehicle interior according to its end use as a van or motor home.
The company expects to export some 5 to 10 percent of the finished vehicles.
Zone procedures will exempt Winnebago from duty payments on the foreign
components it uses in its export. On its domestic sales, the company will
be able to defer duty payments and avoid duty costs on wastage. Although
the duty rate on the cab/chassis kits is low (2.8 percent), Customs duty
costs are substantial. The savings from zone procedures are an important
part of the company's efforts to reduce costs and sell to Canadian and
European markets.
In accordance with the Board's regulations, an examiners committee has
been appointed to investigate the application and report to the Board. The
committee consists of: John J. Da Ponte, Jr. (Chairman), Director,
Foreign-Trade Zones Staff, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
20230; Leo W. Partyka, District Director, U.S. Customs Service, North
Central Region, 610 S. Canal Street, Chicago, IL 60607; Richard D. Rudin,
Program Analyst (Inspection and Control), U.S. Customs Service, North
Central Region, 55 E. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603; Colonel Bernard P.
Slofer, District Engineer, U.S. Army Engineer District Rock Island, Clock
Tower Building, Rock Island, IL 61201.
As part of its investigation, the examiners committee will hold a public
hearing on January 11, 1984, beginning at 9:00 a.m., in the auditorium of
the Wallace State Office Building, East Ninth Street and Grand Avenue, Des
Moines.
Interested parties are invited to present their views at the hearing.
Persons wishing to testify should notify the Board's Executive Secretary in
writing at the address below or by phone (202/377-2862) by January 2, 1984.
Instead of an oral presentation, written statements may be submitted in
accordance with the Board's regulations to the examiners committee, care of
the Executive Secretary, at any time from the date of this notice through
February 10, 1984.
A copy of the application and accompanying exhibits will be available
during this time for public inspection at each of the following locations:
U.S. Dept. of Commerce District Office,
817 Federal Building,
210 Walnut Street,
Des Moines, IA 50309, and
Office of the Executive Secretary,
Foreign-Trade Zones Board,
U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 1872,
14th and Pennsylvania, NW.,
Washington, D.C. 20230.
Dated: December 7, 1983.
John J. Da Ponte, Jr.,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 83-33198 Filed 12-13-83; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-M