FTZ 93: North Carolina Power-Cord Maker Wins Limited Production Approval

FTZ News: Alder SOL Holdings, which does business as StayOnline, has received limited authority to produce power cords at its Henderson, North Carolina, plant inside Foreign-Trade Zone 93, according to a notice published Monday in the Federal Register.

The company asked the Foreign-Trade Zones Board in February for permission to manufacture at the site. The board published a public notice later that month. On Oct. 29, it told StayOnline that further review of part of the proposed work is needed and approved the rest of the activity on a limited basis.

The approval is subject to normal foreign-trade zone rules. It also restricts the company to one year of using vinyl chloride polymer molding resin as an imported component. The notice does not say which part of the proposed production remains under review or why the resin was limited to one year.

Foreign-trade zone production authority generally lets a company bring in foreign parts, make finished goods inside the zone, and then pay duty on the finished product when it enters the U.S. market, or export the goods without duty. The one-year restriction means StayOnline will need additional board approval if it wants to keep using that resin after the period ends.

The notice does not describe the specific products covered, the size of the Henderson operation, or whether the company previously held production authority at the site. Attempts to reach StayOnline for comment were unsuccessful. The board set no deadline for finishing its remaining review. Until that review is complete, the company can proceed only with the production already authorized./.