Notice of Issuance of Final Determination Concerning Certain Monochrome Laser Printers and Replacement Toner Cartridges, 12803-12806 [2018-05964]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
• Customs and Border Protection

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 57 (Friday, March 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12803-12806]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05964]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Customs and Border Protection


Notice of Issuance of Final Determination Concerning Certain 
Monochrome Laser Printers and Replacement Toner Cartridges

AGENCY: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: Notice of final determination.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection (``CBP'') has issued a final determination concerning the 
country of origin of certain monochrome laser printers and replacement 
toner cartridges. Based upon the facts presented, CBP has concluded 
that the country of origin of the monochrome laser printers and 
replacement toner cartridges in question is Japan, for purposes of U.S. 
Government procurement.

DATES: The final determination was issued on March 19, 2018. A copy of 
the final determination is attached. Any party-at-interest, as defined 
in 19 CFR 177.22(d), may seek judicial review of this final 
determination within April 23, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yuliya A. Gulis, Valuation and Special 
Programs Branch, Regulations and Rulings, Office of Trade, at (202) 
325-0042.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that on March 19, 
2018 pursuant to subpart B of Part 177, U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection Regulations (19 CFR part 177, subpart B), CBP issued a final 
determination concerning the country of origin of certain monochrome 
laser printers and replacement toner cartridges, which may be offered 
to the U.S. Government under an undesignated government procurement 
contract. This final determination, HQ H287548, was issued under 
procedures set forth at 19 CFR part 177, subpart B, which implements 
Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended (19 U.S.C. 
Sec. Sec.  2511-18). In the final determination, CBP concluded that the 
country of origin of the monochrome laser printers is Japan for 
purposes of U.S. Government procurement. CBP also determined that the 
country of origin of replacement toner cartridges is Japan for purposes 
of U.S. Government procurement.
    Section 177.29, CBP Regulations (19 CFR 177.29), provides that a 
notice of final determination shall be published in the Federal 
Register within 60 days of the date the final determination is issued. 
Section 177.30, CBP Regulations (19 CFR 177.30), provides that any 
party-at-interest, as defined in 19 CFR 177.22(d), may seek judicial 
review of a final determination within 30 days of publication of such 
determination in the Federal Register.

    Dated: March 19, 2018.
Alice A. Kipel,
Executive Director, Regulations and Rulings, Office of Trade.

HQ H287548

March 19, 2018

OT:RR:CTF:VS H287548 YAG

CATEGORY: Origin

Mr. Stanley R. Soya
Baker Botts LLP
The Warner
1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004-2400

RE: U.S. Government Procurement; Country of Origin of Monochrome 
Laser Printers and Replacement Toner Cartridges; Title III, Trade 
Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. Sec.  2511 et seq.); Subpart B, 
Part 177, CBP Regulations

Dear Mr. Soya:

    This is in response to your correspondence, dated June 14, 2017, 
requesting a final determination, pursuant to subpart B of Part 177 
of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') Regulations (19 
C.F.R. Sec.  177.21 et seq.), on behalf of your clients, Brother 
Industries (U.S.A.) (``BIUS'') and Brother International Corporation 
(``BIC'') (collectively ``Brother''), concerning the country of 
origin of monochrome laser printers and replacement toner 
cartridges.
    We note that BIUS and BIC are parties-at-interest within the 
meaning of 19 C.F.R. Sec.  177.22(d)(1) and are entitled to request 
this final determination.

FACTS:

Monochrome Laser Printers:

    Brother plans to manufacture two new printer models in the 
United States: (1) the HL-L6400DWG, a printer, and (2) the MFC-
L6900DWG, a multifunctional printer/scanner/copier/fax (collectively 
``monochrome laser printers''). These monochrome laser printers will 
be comprised of approximately 1,100 parts and components from 
several countries, including Japan, the Philippines, China, and 
Vietnam. The printers are comprised of 8 main subassemblies, as 
follows:
    (1) Main printed circuit board (``PCB'') assembly or motherboard 
of the machine: It will communicate with the PC, house the memory in 
the printer, and form the image printed on the page. The main 
component of the main PCB will be the Application Specific 
Integrated Circuit (``ASIC''), which includes the Central Processor 
Unit (``CPU'') and other functional circuits, including the 
mechanical control circuit, USB communication control circuit, 
printing data processing circuit, and memory control circuit. Most 
of the digital processing functions of the main PCB will be 
processed by the ASIC. The overall ASIC structure and each 
functional circuit will be designed in Japan and manufactured by 
third-party suppliers in Japan. The other main components of the 
main PCB, which include the random-access memory (``RAM''), read-
only memory (``ROM''), electrically erasable programmable read-only 
memory (``EEPROM''), and printed circuit board, will be produced in 
various other countries. The components of the main PCB assembly 
will be assembled in Japan.
    (2) Firmware: The firmware will be software embedded in the main 
PCB of the machines to provide the control program for the device. 
The overall design and most steps in the development of the firmware 
will be performed in Japan.
    (3) Fuser unit: The fuser unit will apply pressure and heat to 
the printed page to enable toner to permanently melt onto it. The 
main components of the fuser unit, including a pressure roller, 
halogen lamp, thermistor

[[Page 12804]]

sensor, drive gear, upper case, and lower case, will be produced in 
various countries. The components of the fuser unit will be 
assembled in Vietnam.
    (4) Automatic Document Feeder (``ADF'') unit: The ADF unit takes 
up to 80 pages and feeds them one page at a time into the scanner, 
allowing for the copying, printing or faxing of multi-page documents 
without requiring the user to manually replace each page. This 
subassembly will be available for the MFC-L6900DWG. The main 
components of the ADF unit, including ADF cover, document cover, and 
document separate roller will be produced in various countries, and 
assembled in Vietnam.
    (5) Organic Photo Conductor (``OPC'') drum unit: The OPC drum 
unit is an aluminum cylinder that attracts toner using an 
electrostatic charge that is transferred to paper to create a 
printed image. The main components of the OPC drum unit, including 
the OPC drum, corona wire, drive gear, and case, will be produced in 
various countries, and assembled in Vietnam.
    (6) Toner cartridge: The toner cartridge will hold the toner 
that is transferred to an electrostatically charged OPC drum. The 
main component of the toner cartridge, the toner powder, will be 
produced in Japan. All other components of the toner cartridge, 
including the developer roller, agitator, supply roller, drive gear, 
and cases, are produced in various countries. The components of the 
toner cartridge will be assembled in Vietnam.
    (7) Operation panel unit: The operation panel unit controls 
printer functions and communicates information about the printer and 
print jobs. The main components of the operation panel unit, 
including the LCD assembly, which displays the machine status and 
menu, the LCD control board, touch sensor, key switch, and panel 
cover, will be produced in various countries, and will be assembled 
in Vietnam.
    (8) Body unit: The body unit consists of various components, 
such as the cover and frame, paper tray, high-voltage and low-
voltage power supply boards, paper feeder, laser unit, flatbed 
document scanner, and modem board. These components will come from 
various countries, and will be assembled in Vietnam.

It is claimed that the main PCB assembly and the firmware represent 
the ``brains'' of the printer. Further, it is claimed that the 
Vietnamese subassembly production of the fuser unit, ADF unit, OPC 
drum unit, toner cartridge, and body unit, as described above, does 
not require sophisticated skills or expensive machinery. The 
subassemblies will be generally assembled in Vietnam by using jigs 
and an electric screwdriver to connect the individual parts of each 
unit together.
    The final manufacturing operations of the monochrome laser 
printers will take place in the United States, and will take 
approximately 40 minutes to complete (this timeframe includes 
testing of the final product). The manufacturing process for two 
models of the monochrome laser printers slightly differs in steps, 
but in both cases, the process involves threading brittle wires 
through spaces into necessary ports to connect various 
subassemblies, which requires a degree of precision to ensure that 
cables and connectors are not damaged or improperly connected. 
Counsel provided a step-by-step description of the finished printer 
assembly. Counsel also highlighted the complexity of the process by 
indicating the fact that, if inserted incorrectly, the cables (which 
are thin strips of conductive aluminum, coated in a thin layer of 
insulating material) can break and cause the printer to malfunction 
throughout its lifecycle. Moreover, there are several cables that, 
if damaged during the assembly, will require replacement of the 
entire subassembly upon which the cable is soldered. The main PCB 
assembly and the firmware, though produced in Japan, will be 
integrated into the printers in the United States.
    Once assembly is completed, both printer models will undergo 
testing and inspection, which is customized by Brother in Japan to 
ensure optimal functionality of each printer. Testing and inspection 
includes not only running Brother's proprietary inspection system, 
but also a manual inspection of components and overall functioning 
of the product. These steps will include verifying and installing 
the firmware to the main PCB assembly and calibrating the position 
of the laser beam's exposure starting point.
    Finally, counsel emphasizes that Brother employees responsible 
for assembling, inspecting and testing the printers in the United 
States will be required to undergo approximately two weeks of 
customized training.

Replacement toner cartridges:

    Brother also plans to sell new replacement toner cartridges to 
the U.S. Government as a separate consumable end-product. The toner 
cartridges can be used interchangeably in both the model HL-
L6400DWG, printer; and the model MFC-L6900DWG, printer/scanner/
copier/fax. The cartridges will be mainly comprised of the following 
parts: (1) toner powder; (2) supply rollers; (3) developer roller; 
(4) toner uniform blade; and, (5) cleaning unit. Counsel maintains 
that the toner powder is the most critical component of the 
cartridge, as it is a complex powder that allows the printers to 
form an image on paper. Brother's toner powder will be developed and 
manufactured in Japan at a toner manufacturer's facility. The toner 
powder will account for approximately 40% of the total parts and 
cost of the toner cartridges. The finished cartridge will be made of 
29 parts from Japan, Vietnam, China, Philippines, Malaysia, and 
Indonesia. All these components will be brought together by the 
manufacturing process in Japan to build the replacement cartridges. 
The most expensive parts of the cartridge include: (1) the toner 
powder, which is manufactured in Japan; (2) the developer roller, 
which will be manufactured in Japan and the Philippines; and, (3) 
the supply roller and the blade, which will be manufactured in 
China. Counsel claims that the country of origin of Brother 
replacement toner cartridges is Japan.

ISSUE:

    What is the country of origin of the monochrome laser printers 
and replacement toner cartridges for purposes of U.S. Government 
procurement?

LAW AND ANALYSIS:

    CBP issues country of origin advisory rulings and final 
determinations as to whether an article is or would be a product of 
a designated country or instrumentality for the purposes of granting 
waivers of certain ``Buy American'' restrictions in U.S. law or 
practice for products offered for sale to the U.S. Government, 
pursuant to subpart B of Part 177, 19 C.F.R. Sec.  177.21 et seq., 
which implements Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 
(``TAA''), as amended (19 U.S.C. Sec.  2511 et seq.).
    Under the rule of origin set forth under 19 U.S.C. Sec.  
2518(4)(B):

    An article is a product of a country or instrumentality only if 
(i) it is wholly the growth, product, or manufacture of that country 
or instrumentality, or (ii) in the case of an article which consists 
in whole or in part of materials from another country or 
instrumentality, it has been substantially transformed into a new 
and different article of commerce with a name, character, or use 
distinct from that of the article or articles from which it was so 
transformed.

See also 19 C.F.R. Sec.  177.22(a).
    In rendering final determinations for purposes of U.S. 
Government procurement, CBP applies the provisions of subpart B of 
Part 177 consistent with the Federal Procurement Regulations. See 19 
C.F.R. Sec.  177.21. In this regard, CBP recognizes that the Federal 
Acquisition Regulations restrict the U.S. Government's purchase of 
products to U.S.-made or designated country end products for 
acquisitions subject to the Trade Agreements Act. See 48 C.F.R. 
Sec.  25.403(c)(1). The Federal Acquisition Regulations define 
``U.S.-made end product'' as ``an article that is mined, produced, 
or manufactured in the United States or that is substantially 
transformed in the United States into a new and different article of 
commerce with a name, character, or use distinct from that of the 
article or articles from which it was transformed.'' See 48 C.F.R. 
Sec.  25.003.
    In determining whether the combining of parts or materials 
constitutes a substantial transformation, the determinative issue is 
the extent of the operations performed and whether the parts lose 
their identity and become an integral part of the new article. 
Belcrest Linens v. United States, 6 C.I.T. 204, 573 F. Supp. 1149 
(1983), aff'd, 741 F.2d 1368 (Fed. Cir. 1984). If the manufacturing 
or combining process is a minor one that leaves the identity of the 
imported article intact, a substantial transformation has not 
occurred. Uniroyal, Inc. v. United States, 3 C.I.T. 220, 542 F. 
Supp. 1026 (1982).
    In Energizer Battery, Inc. v. United States, 190 F. Supp. 3d 
1308 (2016), the Court of International Trade (``CIT'') interpreted 
the meaning of ``substantial transformation'' as used in the TAA for 
purposes of government procurement. Energizer involved the 
determination of the country of origin of a flashlight, referred to 
as the Generation II flashlight, under the TAA. All of the 
components of the Generation II flashlight were of Chinese origin, 
except for a white LED and a hydrogen getter. The components

[[Page 12805]]

were imported into the United States where they were assembled into 
the finished Generation II flashlight.
    The court reviewed the ``name, character and use'' test utilized 
in determining whether a substantial transformation has occurred and 
noted, citing Uniroyal, Inc. v. United States, 3 C.I.T. at 226, 542 
F. Supp. at 1031, aff'd, 702 F.2d 1022 (Fed. Cir. 1983), that when 
``the post-importation processing consists of assembly, courts have 
been reluctant to find a change in character, particularly when the 
imported articles do not undergo a physical change.'' Energizer at 
1318. In addition, the court noted that ``when the end-use was pre-
determined at the time of importation, courts have generally not 
found a change in use.'' Energizer at 1319, citing as an example, 
National Hand Tool Corp. v. United States, 16 C.I.T. 308, 310, 
aff'd, 989 F.2d 1201 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Furthermore, courts have 
considered the nature of the assembly, i.e., whether it is a simple 
assembly or more complex, such that individual parts lose their 
separate identities and become integral parts of a new article.
    In reaching its decision in Energizer, the court expressed the 
question as one of whether the imported components retained their 
names after they were assembled into the finished Generation II 
flashlights. The court found ``[t]he constitutive components of the 
Generation II flashlight do not lose their individual names as a 
result [of] the post-importation assembly.'' The court also found 
that the components had a pre-determined end-use as parts and 
components of a Generation II flashlight at the time of importation 
and did not undergo a change in use due to the post-importation 
assembly process. Finally, the court did not find the assembly 
process to be sufficiently complex as to constitute a substantial 
transformation. Thus, the court found that Energizer's imported 
components did not undergo a change in name, character, or use as a 
result of the post-importation assembly of the components into a 
finished Generation II flashlight. Virtually all of the components 
of the military Generation II flashlight, including the most 
important component, the LED, were of Chinese origin. Thus, the 
court determined that China was the correct country of origin of the 
finished Generation II flashlights under the government procurement 
provisions of the TAA.

Monochrome Laser Printers:

    In this case, counsel argues that the country of origin of the 
monochrome laser printers at issue will be the United States because 
the printers will be assembled in a process that involves: (1) 
complex post-importation assembly operations; (2) the installation 
of the main PCB assembly and a firmware verification and download; 
and, (3) a customized testing and inspection process. In support of 
its position, counsel cites Headquarters Ruling Letters (``HQ'') 
H241146, dated May 21, 2013; HQ H185775, dated December 21, 2011; 
and, HQ 560677, dated February 3, 1998. We disagree.
    In HQ H241146, CBP considered the country of origin of 
monochrome laser printers. In that case, Chinese subassemblies were 
imported into the United States, where they were assembled with 
U.S.-origin PCBs, and programmed with Japanese-origin firmware. CBP 
found that the last substantial transformation occurred in the 
United States. While the printers were comprised of subassemblies 
and components from various countries, they were also comprised of a 
controller unit assembled in the United States (with U.S.-origin 
PCBs), which was important to the function of the printers. We note 
that the case at issue is distinguishable from HQ H241146 because in 
addition to the final printer assembly in the United States, the 
printers in HQ H241146 contained U.S.-origin PCBs.
    In HQ H185775, CBP considered the country of origin of a 
multifunction office machine. In that case, the incomplete print 
engine was produced in Vietnam and consisted of a metal frame, 
plastic skins, motors, controller board with supplier-provided 
firmware, a laser scanning system, paper trays, cabling paper 
transport rollers, and miscellaneous sensing and imaging systems. 
The incomplete print engine was shipped to Mexico, where the 
following assemblies were added: the formatter board, scanner/
automatic document feeder, control panel, fax card, hard disk drive/
solid state drive, firmware (which was developed and written in the 
United States), along with other minor components and accessories. 
CBP determined that Mexico was the country of origin because the 
assembly of the various components resulted in a substantial 
transformation. We find HQ H185775 distinguishable because the 
assembly in Mexico involved multiple components from various 
countries, including TAA-designated countries.
    In HQ 560677, CBP considered two different notebook computers 
manufactured in the United States with parts and components from 
various countries. CBP concluded that the foreign components used in 
the manufacture of the notebook computers lost their separate 
identities and became an integral part of a notebook computer as a 
result of the operations performed in the United States. We note 
that HQ 560677 specifically pertains to notebook computers, which is 
a different product from the monochrome laser printers at issue, and 
CBP has considered many other scenarios involving the production of 
printers that are more relevant to this case.
    For example, in HQ H219519, dated April 3, 2013, CBP considered 
the country of origin of a color printer and fax machine under three 
different scenarios. In scenarios one and two, the color printer and 
fax machine underwent the following operations in Mexico: final 
assembly, downloading firmware written in the United States, and 
testing, which included making settings appropriate to the buyer's 
country and the client's specific needs. In scenario one, the 
assembly took 3-4 minutes whereby the external memory drive was 
installed onto the formatter and the cables were routed as 
necessary. The firmware for the engine and formatter was downloaded 
onto the hard drive or solid state drive. In scenario two, the 
assembly took 7-8 minutes and involved the assembly discussed in 
scenario one, plus the installation of the intermediate transfer 
belt. In both scenarios, the testing took 7-14 minutes and included 
making certain settings for the language, paper, functionality, and 
other feature settings, as described above. In scenario three, the 
color printer and fax machine underwent assembly in Mexico that took 
2-3 minutes, the firmware for the sub-systems (engine, formatter) 
was downloaded onto the hard drive or solid state drive, and the 
product underwent testing. The cost of the incomplete print engine 
was the most expensive of the hardware components, with the 
formatter board being the second-most expensive component. CBP 
determined that the country of origin of the imported printers was 
China under all three scenarios, since the assembly performed in 
Mexico was not significant enough to result in a substantial 
transformation of the Chinese components and subassemblies. In 
reaching its decision, CBP emphasized that all of the components 
were produced in China (with the exception of the hard disk from 
Malaysia), including all the significant parts that were the essence 
of the finished product, particularly the high-cost print engine and 
formatter board.
    With respect to the final assembly processes in the United 
States, we find that this case is similar to HQ H219519 and the 
CIT's decision in Energizer because the assembly process in the 
United States is not sufficiently complex for the last substantial 
transformation to occur in the United States. Rather, all of the 
fully finished printer subassemblies are manufactured in Vietnam, 
and the PCB and firmware are made in Japan. Thus, substantial 
manufacturing operations are performed in these countries. Once the 
Vietnamese subassemblies and the Japanese-origin PCB are imported 
into the United States, these 10 subassemblies are soldered/wired 
together, and programmed with the Japanese-origin firmware. All of 
these processes, including the testing of the finished printer 
(which accounts for half of the time of the printer's manufacture), 
are concluded in just 40 minutes. The manufacturing processes of 
these subassemblies in the United States do not rise to the level of 
complex processes necessary for a substantial transformation to 
occur. In fact, the end-use of the imported and fully assembled 
subassemblies is already pre-determined at the time of importation. 
See Energizer at 1319. Additionally, despite counsel's attempt to 
make the manufacturing processes in the United States appear to be 
more complex, upon reviewing the provided materials, we find that 
``threading brittle wires through spaces into necessary ports to 
connect various subassemblies'' amounts to nothing more than simply 
feeding the wiring harnesses through designated areas, especially 
considering that the subassemblies in question are already 
manufactured in a manner that allows for a relatively easy 
downstream installation. Accordingly, the manufacturing processes 
that occur in the United States will not subsume the individual 
subassemblies into a new and distinct article of commerce that has a 
new name, character, and use.
    As discussed in Energizer, in cases in which the post-
importation processing entails assembly, courts have considered the 
nature of the assembly together with the

[[Page 12806]]

name, character, or use test in making a substantial transformation 
determination. See Ran-Paige Co., Inc. v. United States, 35 Fed. Cl. 
117, 121 (1996); Belcrest Linens, 741 F.2d at 1371; Uniroyal, 3 
C.I.T. at 226, 542 F. Supp. at 1031. The court has sometimes 
compared the degree of operations in pre versus post-importation 
processing to evaluate whether a substantial transformation 
occurred. For example, in Nat'l Hand Tool, the court contrasted the 
pre-importation processing of cold forming and hot-forging and noted 
that it required more complicated functions than post-importation 
processing, which included heat treatment and electroplating. 16 
C.I.T. at 311; see also Uniroyal, 3 C.I.T. at 224-227, 542 F.Supp. 
at 1029-31 (comparing a post-importation ``minor manufacturing or 
combining process'' in which imported shoe uppers were attached to 
outsoles with ``complex manufacturing processes'' that occurred pre-
importation when the imported uppers were produced). In such cases, 
CBP has focused on the importance of other components to make an 
origin determination.
    For example, in HQ H018467, dated January 4, 2008, CBP was asked 
to consider two manufacturing scenarios for multi-function printers. 
In one scenario, manufacturing took place in two countries; in the 
other, it took place in three countries. In the two-country 
scenario, 18 units were manufactured in the Philippines from 
components produced in various countries. The units were sent to 
Japan where the system control board, engine control board, OPC drum 
unit, and the toner reservoir were manufactured and incorporated 
into the units. The control boards were programmed in Japan with 
Japanese firmware that controlled the user interface, imaging, 
memories, and the mechanics of the machines. The machines were then 
inspected and adjusted as necessary. CBP found that the 
manufacturing operations in Japan substantially transformed the 
Philippine units such that Japan was the country of origin of the 
multifunctional machines. In making the determination (and in 
addition to the finding that operations performed in Japan were 
meaningful and complex and resulted in an article of commerce with a 
new name, character and use), CBP took into consideration the fact 
that the system control board, the engine control board, and the 
firmware, which were very important to the functionality of the 
machines, were manufactured in Japan.
    Similarly, in HQ W563491, dated February 8, 2007, CBP was asked 
to consider a two-country scenario where all of the subassemblies of 
the multifunction machine were made in China, with the exception of 
the controller unit subassembly, application specific integrated 
circuits and firmware, which were made in Japan. In that case, the 
final assembly, testing, and the final inspection were done in 
Japan. Although CBP stated that the product assembly in Japan was 
also complex and meaningful, CBP focused on the origin of key 
components in finding that the country of origin was Japan. See also 
HQ H020516, dated November 7, 2008 (CBP considered Sharp Andromeda 
II J models composed of eight main subassemblies, two of which 
involved processing in Japan. All the engineering, development, 
design, and artwork were developed in Japan. The multifunctional 
printer control unit was described as the brain of the model. While 
some of the components were installed on the control printer board 
in China, the flash read-only memory which included firmware 
developed in Japan, was manufactured in Japan. The other unit that 
involved production in Japan was the process unit, that housed a 
drum produced in Japan. The process unit was assembled in China. The 
other subassemblies were assembled in China but certain key 
components of the subassemblies originated in Japan. The final 
assembly was performed in Japan. Based on the totality of the 
circumstances discussed in this ruling, CBP agreed that the Jupiter 
II J-models were considered a product of Japan).
    Similar to HQ H018467, HQ W563491, and HQ H020516, in this case, 
the main PCB assembly is the motherboard of the printers, which 
communicates with the PC, houses the memory in the printer, and 
forms the image printed on the page. It also includes key functional 
circuits, including mechanical control and printing data processing. 
Additionally, the overall structure and each functional circuit of 
the ASIC, the main component of PCB, will be designed in Japan and 
manufactured by third-party suppliers in Japan. The firmware itself 
provides the control program for the printers and enables the main 
PCB assembly to function as the electronic ``brains'' of the 
printers by controlling all printer functions. The main PCB assembly 
(consisting of approximately 1,028 components) and the firmware, 
produced in Japan, a TAA-designated country, account for a 
significant percentage of the total subassembly cost. Together, the 
firmware and the main PCB, which serve major functions and are high 
in value, constitute the essential character of the printers. We 
note that in the three rulings referenced above, the key components 
and the firmware were manufactured and developed in the same country 
in which the final assembly took place. This is not the case here. 
However, considering that the production of the printer occurs in 
three countries, we find the last substantial transformation to 
occur in Japan, given that the essential character of the printer is 
made in Japan. Accordingly, we find that Japan is the country of 
origin of the monochrome laser printers.

Replacement toner cartridges:

    Finally, counsel argues that Japan is the country of origin for 
the Brother replacement toner cartridges. Several CBP rulings are 
cited in counsel's submission. HQ H251592, dated June 24, 2014, 
describes an AIO cartridge with three main components: 1) toner 
powder; 2) developer unit; and, 3) cleaning unit. In HQ H251592, CBP 
determined that the processing in Japan substantially transformed 
the non-Japanese components. We find that a similar rationale can be 
applied to Brother's replacement cartridges. Therefore, it is the 
opinion of this office that the country of origin of the replacement 
toner cartridges will be Japan.

HOLDING:

    Based on the facts provided, the imported fully assembled 
printer subassemblies from Japan and Vietnam will not be 
substantially transformed into finished monochrome laser printers by 
the processes that take place in the United States. However, the 
finished monochrome laser printers will be considered a product of 
Japan for purposes of U.S. Government procurement. With respect to 
the Brother replacement toner cartridges, the country of origin will 
be Japan.
    Notice of this final determination will be given in the Federal 
Register, as required by 19 C.F.R. Sec.  177.29. Any party-at-
interest other than the party which requested this final 
determination may request, pursuant to 19 C.F.R. Sec.  177.31, that 
CBP reexamine the matter anew and issue a new final determination. 
Pursuant to 19 C.F.R. Sec.  177.30, any party-at-interest may, 
within 30 days of publication of the Federal Register Notice 
referenced above, seek judicial review of this final determination 
before the Court of International Trade.

Sincerely,

Monika R. Brenner
for
Alice A. Kipel, Executive Director
Regulations and Rulings
Office of Trade

[FR Doc. 2018-05964 Filed 3-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9111-14-P