The Aluminum Association (AA) has welcomed the establishment of the US Department of Commerce’s Aluminum Import Monitoring and Analysis (AIM) program, citing that it will help the AA spot trends in the market sooner and take the necessary actions.
On December 23, 2020, Commerce issued a final order, putting the AIM system into action from Jan 25 under which all importers, traders, and brokers must apply for licenses to ship certain aluminum products into the US. The licensing website became functional on Jan 4.
The HTS codes covered under the new licensing system pertain to the Section 232 aluminum tariffs which play an important role in maintaining a level playing field among domestic and foreign producers in the US, the AA added. It also noted that Canada and Mexico are working on similar measures to monitor imports.
According to Tom Dobbins, president and chief executive officer of the AA, the AIM program will help both the government and the AA identify negative trends in imports and crack down on countries that do not follow global trade laws.