ControlTek Featured in New York Times as National Conversation on U.S. and China Tariffs Comes to the Pacific Northwest
ControlTek hosted the New York Times this month to discuss the continuation of U.S. and China trade tariffs on materials used in electronics components.
Nearly a year after the Trump Administration first imposed tariffs on billions of Chinese imports, the national conversation has turned to the Pacific Northwest.
With 140 employees employed at our 38,000 square foot manufacturing facility, ControlTek is one of many local manufacturers facing the uncertainty the tariffs have raised. Unlike larger multinational manufacturing companies, U.S. manufacturers are greatly affected by tariffs imposed on China and must move quickly to address the impact on their customers’ supply chain.
“The tariffs can be viewed as a political challenge, but to us they pose a new business opportunity,” says ControlTek President Andy LaFrazia. “The new tariffs are an obstacle to overcome for our customers.”
The Pacific Northwest is of particular interest because of our geographical proximity to China and electronics being our number one export. ControlTek in particular was selected by the New York Times because of our size and proactive stance in dealing with the tariffs.
This approach requires frequent, open communication with customers and candid conversations around which costs will need to be passed on and where components can be swapped out for those sourced elsewhere.
“Transparency with our customers has never been more important,” adds LaFrazia. “We can only maintain our customers’ trust if they know exactly what we’re doing and why. That means total honesty, so they’re never left feeling like we are hiding costs.”
