Last U.S. Flatware Maker Expects Boost From Trump Tariffs
Following President Trump’s September 17 announcement that the United States would impose 10-percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, the CEO of America’s last remaining manufacturer of stainless-steel flatware expressed optimism that his business would benefit greatly.
The executive was Greg Owens, CEO of Sherrill Manufacturing in upstate New York.
“It could be a game changer,” Owens told a reporter from New York Upstate.com, a local news outlet. “Certainly, a 10 percent tariff will have everyone’s attention.”
New York Upstate reported that Sherill Manufacturing manufacturers a brand of flatware called Liberty Tabletop in a plant once owned by Oneida Ltd. Owing to economic pressures, including foreign competition, Oneida Ltd. decided to close the Sherill plant in 2005. Owens and Matt Roberts — who were both former Oneida Ltd. Executives — bought the plant for $1 million and reopened it the next day as Sherrill Manufacturing.