Strategic Responses in Manufacturing

President Donald Trump's 10% tariffs on all imports to the United States, rising to as high as 49% for some countries, promise to upend the manufacturing landscape, forcing many producers to look for new suppliers and creating dramatic opportunities for companies that already have their production here. 

It's too soon the know all of the impacts, but a few things are clear:

• Costs will go up on manfacturers that rely on foreign suppliers for key components
• Companies will continue facing labor shortages, especially for skilled positions
• Good management principles won't offset all of the changes, but they'll be more important than ever
• And technology could provide some relief, but it's not going to be a cure all

Discussing these topics are InudstryWeek's editors. Below are some written thoughts that each of them had on the topic.