‘Not easy’: how a US firm avoided Trump’s China tariffs by sourcing American
Excel Dryer succeeded in sourcing all components locally by 2023, but analyst questions whether other firms can follow suit
Denis Gagnon had long wanted to establish a manufacturing firm supplied only by American-made parts, a vision shaped by his experience in the international corporate world and his assessment of business risks offshore.
He was an outlier in an era of globalisation when businesspeople, including his US peers, waxed lyrical about outsourcing from Asia to minimise production costs.
The Gagnons, including his son William, run a medium-sized company called Excel Dryer in the US state of Massachusetts.
“The tariff increase only solidified our decision to move forward,” said William Gagnon, who is now executive vice-president of the company.
After eight tough years searching for a motor supplier outside China, the maker of electric hand dryers achieved its goal of sourcing 100 per cent of its parts domestically by 2023, William Gagnon told the Post.
Keeping the product American-made is not easy. It’s taken a lot of focus and effort by us.
“We are happy we don’t have to worry about it,” William Gagnon said. “We’re not on the edge of our seats worrying about what’s going to happen. We are able to focus on more important and strategic things.”