An expert on doing business in China says Northeast Ohio companies will likely need to get used to the tariffs placed on their goods by the Chinese government. But that could also bring some jobs back to the U.S.
The Trump administration has placed 25 percent tariffs on about half of the more than $500 billion in goods imported from China each year. That’s spurred China to levy tariffs on some U.S. goods.
Matt Fuss is vice president of global supply chain at Kent-based Ametek. He works with three facilities in China that make components for motors for his company. He says workers in Northeast Ohio may see one benefit from the tariffs as companies explore moving jobs out of China.
“You’ll see manufacturing demand – industries that were decimated [like] toolmakers and dies and machinists – I think that will start to boom. Those are probably the first industries that will start to pick up.”
Fuss adds that any production that does return to the U.S. will likely be highly automated and highly technical.
