US manufacturers are stocking up on imports ahead of tariffs

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. U.S. manufacturers are stockpiling imported parts and raw materials in anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump imposing new tariffs next year.

Buying activity among North American manufacturers, measured in a survey of 27,000 businesses worldwide by GEP and S&P Market Intelligence, in November hit its highest level in more than a year. U.S. industrial manufacturers and consumer-packaged-goods companies are buying up critical parts and raw materials, such as emulsifiers and flavor enhancers, driving up demand, according to GEP, a supply-chain software company that gathers the data.

“We are seeing a massive pull forward," said Inna Kuznetsova, chief executive of ToolsGroup, a supply-chain planning and optimization company. “We are seeing much more demand for the software that allows people to run scenarios both for the short term and for the long term to assess what they can do." U.S. businesses are giving priority to the purchase of their most critical components before tariffs hit, said John Piatek, a vice president of consulting at GEP who works with global manufacturing, consumer-goods and biotechnology companies.

Piatek said manufacturers’ main concern is that if they wait, competitors will secure the items at lower cost and the companies will be forced to raise prices before competitors do. “They are acting now to secure critical items," her said, and “taking a wait-and-see approach for the rest." Trump has vowed to impose new rounds of tariffs soon after taking office on Jan. 20.