Distributors, dealers, contractors, installers, and importers of ready-to-assemble (RTA) cabinets in the U.S. launched the American Coalition of Cabinet Distributors (ACCD). According to a press release, the group is committed to fighting a trade case filed with the International Trade Commission (ITC) and Department of Commerce by made-to-order cabinet companies against imports of RTA cabinets from China.
The American Kitchen Cabinet Alliance filed an anti-dumping and countervailing duty petition in March seeking substantial duties on imports of RTA cabinets from China. According to the ACCD, the imposition of the proposed duties could eliminate the RTA option from the U.S. marketplace.
“The made-to-order cabinet manufacturers that filed this trade case are seeking to wipe out the RTA market segment by taking advantage of anti-China trade sentiment,” said coalition member Randy Goldstein, chief executive officer of Kitchen Cabinet Distributors in Raleigh, N.C.
The ITC issued a preliminary view on the case on May 1, deciding to proceed with the investigation of imports. However, the ITC also found the imports have not had a negative impact on the U.S. cabinet industry’s prices.
The ACCD represents U.S. companies that account for less than 10% of the domestic cabinet industry. The small- and medium-sized business in the coalition import and warehouse stackable cabinet products, making them available to dealers, contractors, builders, and installers.
