In this new live APDA session, Dan Digre (President and CEO of MISCO Speakers, Oaktron Aerospace, and Warkwyn Labs, from Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul), will share his perspective on the global supply chains, the renewed tariff wars, and what Made in America still means.
MISCO, founded 75 years ago as Minneapolis Speaker Company, is an OEM manufacturer of loudspeakers and audio systems for a variety of professional and commercial markets including aircraft, medical, gaming, alarms, home audio, car audio, and pro audio. An accredited supplier for the US government or NASA, MISCO products are sold in North America and also globally. And as with every other loudspeaker manufacturer, sourcing magnets made out of ferrite, neodymium, or alnico, as well as many other raw materials for voice coils, diaphragms, and all the other speaker parts requires sourcing from China and other regions of the world.
Every time MISCO imports components from China or other countries, he gets a bill from U.S. Customs and Border Protection saying how much he owes in tariffs. This is supposed to deter imports from outside the US. But what materials and parts can still be sourced and assembled in the US? Scrutiny has also increased of products labeled as "Made in America," where changing laws define that "All or substantially all" of the components must have America as the country of origin. But how much is "substantially" exactly?
When a US manufacturer pays an additional percentage for those materials, which are not available in the US but are taxed with tariffs, it immediately faces a cost disadvantage, adding to the additional costs to bring those materials to the country. And ironically, MISCO and other speaker manufacturers face higher taxes when importing raw materials for production in the United States than they do when importing a final product that was wholly manufactured overseas.
This webinar will discuss the structure and complexities of tariffs, foreign and domestic subsidy program protections, and explore strategies to survive in a volatile market. What websites, sources, should manufacturers and importers be looking for guidance? What is the best route to supply chain resiliency and multi-geography "team approach"?
Watch Live on Youtube: https://youtube.com/live/FbXM4S5N8r4?feature=share
The Audio Product Development Alliance (APDA) is dedicated to improving the knowledge and skills of professionals involved in the development of audio products, from concept to delivery. https://www.linkedin.com/company/audioproductdevalliance/
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Supply Chain, Import/Export, and Tariffs
Online webinar
February 25, 9:00 AM Pacific: (12:00 PM Eastern)
Watch Live on Youtube
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