COUNTRY OF ORIGIN MARKING OF IMPORTED SHAFT COUPLINGS, SHAFTS AND GEARS

NY 810235 June 14, 1995 MAR-2-84:S:N:N3:102 810235 CATEGORY: MARKING Mr. Scott D. Johnson Port of the Prairie, Inc. 314 27th Street North Fargo, North Dakota 58102 RE: COUNTRY OF ORIGIN MARKING OF IMPORTED SHAFT COUPLINGS, SHAFTS AND GEARS Dear Mr. Johnson: This is in response to your letter dated May 4, 1995, on behalf of your client, Prairie Gear Mfg., Winnipeg, Canada, requesting a ruling on whether imported shaft couplings, transmission shafts and gears are required to be individually marked with the country of origin if they are both incapable of being marked without incurring damage and are later to be processed in the U.S. by a U.S. manufacturer. A marked sample was not submitted with your letter for review. The items at issue are highly machined steel components designed to be incorporated into various machines as parts of their power transmission subassemblies. The components will be sold directly to U.S. manufacturers. Die stamping of the machined surfaces would affect their precision. The marking statute, section 304, Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1304), provides that, unless excepted, every article of foreign origin (or its container) imported into the U.S. shall be marked in a conspicuous place as legibly, indelibly and permanently as the nature of the article (or its container) will permit, in such a manner as to indicate to the ultimate purchaser in the U.S. the English name of the country of origin of the article. Part 134, Customs Regulations (19 CFR Part 134), implements the country of origin marking requirements and exceptions of 19 U.S.C. 1304. Section 134.41(b), Customs Regulations (19 CFR 134.41(b)), mandates that the ultimate purchaser in the U.S. must be able to find the marking easily and read it without strain. Section 134.1(d), defines the ultimate purchaser as generally the last person in the U.S. who will receive the article in the form in which it was imported. 19 CFR 134.1(d)(1) states that if an imported article will be used in manufacture, the manufacturer may be the ultimate purchaser if he subjects the imported article to a process which results in a substantial transformation of the article. The case of U.S. v. Gibson-Thomsen Co., Inc., 27 C.C.P.A. 267 (C.A.D. 98) (1940), provides that an article used in manufacture which results in an article having a name, character or use differing from that of the constituent article will be considered substantially transformed and that the manufacturer or processor will be considered the ultimate purchaser of the constituent materials. In such circumstances, the imported article is excepted from marking and only the outermost container is required to be marked. See, 19 CFR 134.35. In this case, the imported shafts, couplers and gears are substantially transformed as a result of the U.S. processing, and therefore the U.S. manufacturer is the ultimate purchaser of the imported transmission components and under 19 CFR 134.35 only the containers which reach the ultimate purchaser are required to be marked with the country of origin "Canada". This ruling is being issued under the provisions of Part 177 of the Customs Regulations (19 CFR Part 177). A copy of this ruling letter should be attached to the entry documents filed at the time this merchandise is entered. If the documents have been filed without a copy, this ruling should be brought to the attention of the Customs officer handling the transaction. Sincerely, Jean F. Maguire Area Director New York Seaport