A businessman in Wilbraham, Massachsuetts, says federal tariffs designed to help American aluminum and steel manufacturers are hurting his small manufacturing company.
Norpin Manufacturing is a third-generation family company with 13 employees, which makes metal housings for products like stereo amplifiers and medical instruments.
It used to buy almost all of its aluminum domestically. But after the tariffs went into effect, the company says demand spiked, and it couldn't find any aluminum to purchase in the U.S.
Norpin now sources the metal from Greece.
Sales manager Luke Pincince said his costs have gone way up.
"The day the tariffs were announced, I saw a 50 percent increase in price per pound, and if you factor in the Greece price, it's over a 100 percent increase," he said.
State Senator Eric Lesser, a Democrat, paid a visit to Norpin. As a state lawmaker, he can't change federal trade policy, but he said it's important to sound the alarm on the tariffs' impact on local businesses.
