**Plattsburgh, New York**: Plattco Corporation, a historic valve manufacturer, faces severe challenges due to rising tariffs on Chinese imports. CEO Michele Derrigo-Barnes warns tariffs of up to 245% threaten company operations, jobs, and expansion, highlighting the complex impact on supply chains and American manufacturing.
The Plattco Corporation, a longstanding American manufacturer based in Plattsburgh, New York, is confronting significant challenges amid the imposition of steep tariffs on imports from China. Founded in the late 1890s, Plattco specialises in designing and manufacturing industrial valves used across various sectors, including mining, power generation, and printing. While some components of their valves are produced domestically at their New York facility, many smaller parts are sourced from abroad, primarily from China.
CEO Michele Derrigo-Barnes expressed her deep concerns regarding the impact of tariffs, which have reached rates as high as 245 percent on certain Chinese imports. Speaking to Reason Magazine, she highlighted how these increases are threatening the company’s operational viability. “Stop the nonsense,” she said in response to a hypothetical message to President Donald Trump and his trade advisors. “You’re killing the American people. We’ve worked hard to get us to a place where we can perform well, and we can take care of our customers, and this is putting that in jeopardy.”
Derrigo-Barnes further explained the intricate nature of their supply chain, with Plattco importing crucial component parts to be assembled domestically. The new tariffs, she warned, are causing shifts in pricing that are already negatively affecting sales and threatening the company’s expansion plans. An ongoing project to enlarge Plattco’s in-house manufacturing and foundry operations has been paused as the company assesses the tariff impact on its financial outlook.
While the Trump administration has defended tariffs as measures to bolster domestic manufacturing, many American manufacturers like Plattco are experiencing increased costs and uncertainty. A recent survey by the New York Federal Reserve noted a rising level of pessimism among manufacturers, with expectations that conditions will worsen in the near term.
Though Derrigo-Barnes voiced an understanding of the administration’s goal to encourage American-made products, she underscored the complexity of reconfiguring supply chains. “It’s not something that anybody is going to be able to just pick up and do tomorrow,” she said.
Plattco employs 55 workers, many in good-paying, blue-collar roles with benefits, including fully paid health insurance for employees. Derrigo-Barnes said she is particularly concerned about preserving these benefits and keeping the “work-life balance that makes people be good employees and makes people great at home.” She concluded by describing the current situation as “really putting a damper on that, and it’s scary.”
As tariffs continue to shape the landscape for manufacturers reliant on global supply chains, Plattco’s experience offers insight into the challenges faced by small to medium-sized industrial companies navigating changing trade policies.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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