Early June saw the enforcement of a 50% metal import tariff by United States (US) President Donald Trump, which is now putting great pressure on the local metal can manufacturing company, Independent Can Co., based in Belcamp, Maryland.
The move was described as 'messy' by the company's CEO, Rick Huether, 73, who admitted that he never imagined his family's factory, which he inherited since he was 14, would face such a threat.
He explained that the company is now forced to operate in a state of chaos when about 70% of their main raw material, namely tinplate, has to be imported because domestic supplies are insufficient to meet production needs.
The factory, which produces metal containers for products such as cookies, milk and coffee, had previously closed a plant in Iowa due to increased steel tariffs during Trump's first term as president.
Now, with the tariff rate increased to 50%, Huether expects the cost of their products to increase by more than 20%. At the same time, customer orders have also declined by between 20 and 25% this year, due to concerns over the current economic situation.
Despite facing major challenges, the nearly century-old company remains optimistic about its survival, even though the future of the industry is now seen as increasingly uncertain.
