Over and out: Chicago CB radio-maker struggles to adjust to Trump tariffs
Cedar Electronics has been selling CB radios to American truckers since the 1960s, helping connect the workers who keep the U.S. economy rolling. But these days Cedar's business isn't exactly trucking along.
The Chicago-headquartered company is racing around Asia looking for other countries to host its manufacturing, after the radios Cedar makes in China and brings to the United States were hit with one of the Trump administration's 25 percent tariffs this summer, making them more expensive to import.
The White House's decision to extend its tariff campaign to an even broader range of Chinese imports starting Monday is putting similar pressure on more U.S. companies to uproot their Chinese manufacturing, and to consider layoffs, price hikes and investment cuts.
"We are looking as fast as possible to find an alternative [manufacturing] place, but we're dealing with a very unstable situation," said Cedar vice president Mark Karnes, referring to President Trump's penchant for issuing policy decisions by tweet. He added: "As a business, my government just clubbed me over the head."
The Consumer Technology Association alone has heard from hundreds of U.S. member companies hurt by the levies, many of which are small businesses ill equipped for this sort of tumult, said Sage Chandler, vice president for international trade at the lobbying group.
"Eighty percent of our companies are small and medium enterprises," she said. "They don't have trade experts on staff. They don't have customs people on staff."
More than 80 industry and agricultural groups this monthbacked a multimillion-dollar campaign, "Tariffs Hurt the Heartland," to oppose the White House effort. The groups are holding town-hall events and running advertising arguing that the tariffs are causing job loss and higher prices for consumers.
Sellers of consumer electronics and appliances are in a particular bind. Many shifted their manufacturing to China years ago to take advantage of lower labor costs. As manufacturing grew in China and withered elsewhere, China became the sole source of parts for some products, making companies more reliant on the country.
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