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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
[Docket 51-97]
Foreign-Trade Zone 207--Richmond, VA; Application For Foreign-
Trade Subzone Status: Hewlett-Packard Company (Computer and Related
Electronic Products), Richmond, Virginia, Area
An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board
(the Board) by the Capital Region Airport Commission, grantee of FTZ
207, requesting special-purpose subzone status for the manufacturing
and distribution facilities (computers, printers, measurement devices,
medical products and related products) of the Hewlett-Packard Company
(Hewlett-Packard), located in the Richmond, Virginia area. The
application was submitted pursuant to the Foreign-Trade Zones Act, as
amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the regulations of the Board (15 CFR
part 400). It was formally filed on June 19, 1997.
The Hewlett-Packard facilities are located at three sites totaling
92.4 acres (1,110,270 square feet at completion) in the Richmond,
Virginia area: Site 1 (52.9 acres, 304,400 sq.ft. plus 293,820
proposed)--located at 500/600 Liberty Way, Chesterfield County, some
eight miles south of Richmond; Site 2 (9.6 acres, 142,800 sq.ft.)--5900
Eastport Boulevard, Henrico County, 2 miles southeast of Richmond; Site
3 (30 acres, 369,250 sq.ft.)--4830 Eubank Road, Henrico County, 1 mile
southeast of Richmond.
The facilities (200 employees) are used for storage, manufacture,
and distribution for import and export of
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computers and related devices, printers, electronic test and
measurement devices, electronic medical products, and related
electronic products and components. A number of components are
purchased from abroad (an estimated 40% of value on manufactured
products), including printed circuit boards, silicon wafers,
rectifiers, integrated circuits, memory modules, CD-ROM drives, disk
drives, scanners, hard drives, keyboards, monitors/displays (CRT and
LCD type), LEDs, speakers, microphones, belts, valves, bearings,
plastic materials, industrial chemicals, sensors, filters, resistors,
transducers, fuses, plugs, relays, ink cartridges, toner cartridges,
switches, fasteners, cards, transformers, DC/electric motors, magnets,
modems, batteries, cabinets, power supplies, cables, copper wire, power
cords, optical fiber, casters, cases, labels, and packaging materials
(1997 duty range: free-14.2%).
Zone procedures would exempt Hewlett-Packard from Customs duty
payments on foreign components used in export production. On its
domestic sales, Hewlett-Packard would be able to choose the lower duty
rate that applies to the finished products (free-13.2%) for the foreign
components noted above. The application indicates that the savings from
zone procedures would help improve the plant's international
competitiveness.
In accordance with the Board's regulations, a member of the FTZ
Staff has been designated examiner to investigate the application and
report to the Board.
Public comment on the application is invited from interested
parties. Submissions (original and three copies) shall be addressed to
the Board's Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing
period for their receipt is August 29, 1997. Rebuttal comments in
response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be
submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to September 15, 1997.
A copy of the application and the accompanying exhibits will be
available for public inspection at each of the following locations:
Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, U.S.
Department of Commerce, Room 3716, 14th and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20230
U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center, Suite 550, 704
East Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219
Dated: June 20, 1997.
John J. DaPonte, Jr.,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-17053 Filed 6-27-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-U