Behr Dayton manufactures engine cooling and air conditioning technology for the automotive industry in a 1.1 million square foot facility in Dayton, Ohio. According to Heinz-J. Otto, President and CEO of Behr America, the 1,000 workers in Dayton “make engine-cooling and air-conditioning components and systems for cars built by GM, Ford and Chrysler, U.S.-built cars by BMW and Mercedes, and heavy trucks produced by Freightliner and International.”
In addition to being one of Dayton’s largest manufacturing employers, Behr is one of the most frequent importers of aluminum foil from Brazil. In the first 11 months of 2010, 99.98 percent of those imports entered the United States duty free under the GSP.
GSP saved manufacturers like Behr Dayton more than $2.5 million on imports from Brazil. Surprisingly, Brazil isn’t even the largest supplier of aluminum foil under GSP. That honor goes to tiny Armenia. About a quarter of the size of Ohio and with a population just over 3 million, Armenia exported more than $58 million worth of aluminum foil under GSP through November 2010 and saved American companies another $3 million.
While people often think of countries like Brazil when talking about GSP aiding development, it is critical for small countries like Armenia. As shown by the chart, the vast majority of Armenia’s exports to the United States qualified for GSP in 2010. If Armenia can’t export under GSP, it may not be able to export at all.
In short, producers in the United States, Brazil, and Armenia all stand to lose from Congress’ failure to renew GSP in 2010.
