Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Annual Survey of Manufactures, 32530-32532 [2014-13010]

Agencies

• Census Bureau
• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 108 (Thursday, June 5, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32530-32532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-13010]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Annual Survey 
of Manufactures

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the

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Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before August 4, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at jjessup@doc.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Julius Smith, Jr., U.S. Census Bureau, 
Manufacturing and Construction Division, Room 7K055, 4600 Silver Hill 
Road, Washington, DC 20233, (301) 763-7662 (or via the Internet at 
julius.smith.jr@census.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau has conducted the Annual Survey of Manufactures 
(ASM) since 1949 to provide key measures of manufacturing activity 
during intercensal periods. In census years ending in ``2'' and ``7'', 
we mail and collect the ASM as part of the Economic Census covering the 
Manufacturing Sector. This survey is an integral part of the 
Government's statistical program. The ASM furnishes up-to-date 
estimates of employment and payroll, hours and wages of production 
workers, value added by manufacture, cost of materials, value of 
shipments by product class, inventories, and expenditures for both 
plant and equipment and structures. The survey provides data at the 
two-through six-digit North American Industry Classification System 
(NAICS) levels. It also provides geographic data by state at a more 
aggregated industry level.
    The survey also provides valuable information to private companies, 
research organizations, and trade associations. Industry makes 
extensive use of the annual figures on product class shipments at the 
U.S. level in its market analysis, product planning, and investment 
planning. The ASM data are used to benchmark and reconcile monthly and 
quarterly data on manufacturing production and inventories. The Census 
Bureau plans to request a revision of a currently approved collection. 
We plan to make the following changes:
    MA-10000 (L):
    a. Question 9:
    To improve, efficiency and understanding, the last-in, first-out 
(LIFO)-related items 9B5 and 9B6 are no longer in this section.
    b. Question 10:
    Previously, item 10, titled ``Inventories by valuation method'', 
queried for both LIFO and non-LIFO valuation methods together. Research 
done by the U.S. Census Bureau's Response Improvement Research Staff 
found that these methods should be collected separately. The new 
version of item 10 replaces the former item 10A, and focuses ONLY on 
non-LIFO valuation methods.
    c. Question 11:
    Although this is a new item, this section houses the LIFO-related 
items that were removed from the items 9 and 10. This item begins with 
a Yes/No question that allows respondents to skip to item 12 if there 
is no applicable LIFO data. Pieces removed from items 9 and 10, the 
amount subject to LIFO (previously item 10A) and LIFO reserve 
(previously item 9B5), are a part of item 11, along with a total that 
will tie back to the inventory total in item 9B4.
    MA-10000 (L) and MA-10000 (S):
    a. Question 16:
    Item 16B, normal depreciation charges for tangible assets, is being 
removed. In addition to it being one of the most poorly reported items 
that we collect, depreciation is highly correlated to and dependent on 
assets, which is not collected for the ASM. As a result, we are not 
able to accurately impute or edit data for this item.
    As stated above, we need to revise the above information in items 
9-11 to improve the responses for this section. The primary objective 
is to improve reporting and avoid confusion for non-LIFO respondents. 
In previous reporting cycles, reporting on these items were filled with 
errors that revolved around non-LIFO respondents reporting data in the 
LIFO-related items due to confusion on what was being requested. After 
research, we feel that grouping all of the LIFO-related items together 
and moving to the end of the inventory section will greatly decrease 
confusion for the large majority of respondents that do not use the 
LIFO valuation method. The removal of item 16B will simplify what 
respondents are required to report and remove an item that does not 
have the supplemental variables that it needs for editing and 
imputation.

II. Method of Collection

    The ASM statistics are based on a survey that includes both mail 
and nonmail components. The mail portion of the survey consists of a 
probability sample that will be redesigned for the 2014 ASM using a 
methodology similar to the one that was used for the 2009 ASM. However, 
the industry strata for the 2014 ASM sample will be based on the 2012 
NAICS, which combines many of the six-digit codes in the Manufacturing 
Sector. For the 2009 ASM, approximately 51,000 establishments were 
selected from a frame of approximately 117,000 manufacturing 
establishments located in the United States. The frame contained all 
manufacturing establishments of multiunit companies (companies with 
operations at more than one location) plus the largest single-location 
manufacturing companies within each manufacturing industry. In this 
document, we assume that the number of establishments in the 2014 ASM 
sample will be about the same as the number of establishments in the 
2009 ASM sample. The 2009 ASM nonmail component contained the remaining 
single-location companies, approximately 211,000 companies. No data are 
collected from companies in the nonmail component. Rather, data are 
imputed based on models that incorporate the administrative records of 
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Social Security Administration 
(SSA), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Though the nonmail 
companies account for nearly two-thirds of the universe, they account 
for less than 7 percent of the manufacturing output.
    The 51,000 sampled establishments will be asked to report either on 
a long report form (MA-10000(L)) or a short form (MA-10000(S)) based on 
mail selection procedures. All establishments of multiunit companies 
plus the large single-location companies will be asked to report on the 
MA-10000(L). The remaining single-location companies in the sample will 
be asked to report on the MA-10000(S) form. We estimate that 48,000 
establishments will be asked to report the MA-10000(L) and 3,000 
establishments will be asked to report on the MA-10000(S).
    Starting in 2014, the initial mailing will include only a letter 
and a flyer providing electronic reporting instructions. Establishments 
will have the option to request paper forms after the initial mail. By 
omitting paper forms from the initial mail package, we hope to reduce 
costs and to move establishments towards electronic reporting.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0449.
    Form Number(s): MA-10000(L), MA-10000(S).
    Type of Review: Regular submission (revision of a currently 
approved information collection).

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    Affected Public: Business or other for profit, non-profit 
institutions, small businesses or organizations, and State or Local 
Governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents:

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MA-10000(L)--(Long Form)................................          48,000
MA-10000(S)--(Short Form)...............................           3,000
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    Total...............................................          51,000
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    Estimated Time per Response:

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MA-10000(L)--(Long Form)................................         4.0 hrs
MA-10000(S)--(Short Form)...............................         1.4 hrs
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    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 196,200.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondents Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 182, 224, 
and 225.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: May 30, 2014.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-13010 Filed 6-4-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P