TRIMAS CORP

Previous report

Significant developments in U.S. trade policies could have a material adverse effect on us and our financial condition and results of operations.

Previous report

Free trade laws and regulations provide certain duties and tariffs on qualifying imports and exports, subject to compliance with the applicable classification and other requirements. The United States government has altered its approach to international trade policy and, in some cases, indicated its intent to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries. For example, the U.S. government recently announced baseline tariffs on products from all countries and additional individualized reciprocal tariffs on the countries with which the United States has the largest trade deficits, including China. Current and future tariffs, including any retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries, or other potential governmental actions, could result in further adverse impacts on our business and results of operations. These tariffs, and other governmental actions relating to international trade agreements or policies, the adoption and expansion of trade restrictions, or the occurrence of trade wars may adversely impact demand for our products, costs, customers, suppliers and/or the U.S. economy or certain sectors thereof and, as a result, adversely impact our business. These tariffs and actions may, directly or indirectly, lead to higher costs and cause us to increase prices to our customers which may reduce demand, or, if we are unable to increase prices, result in lowering our margin on products sold. The degree to which these changes in U.S. trade policies, or the trade policies of other countries, affect our financial condition and results of operations will be influenced by the specific details of the changes in trade policies, their timing and duration, and our effectiveness in deploying tools and strategies to address these issues. During the first quarter of 2025, we have experienced higher input costs as a direct result of tariffs imposed on certain raw materials and components imported from China. In certain cases, we have passed-through these incremental costs to the customer, while in some cases we have not changed pricing to retain or expand volume, and in other cases we continue to work to install capacity in facilities where there currently is no tariff. In addition, certain of our U.S. suppliers raised prices for components in response to an overall increase in demand for domestic sources. There remains uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of these actions by the U.S. or foreign governments with respect to tariffs, international trade agreements and policies on a short-term or long-term basis. Additional changes in laws or policies governing the terms of foreign trade, and in particular increased trade restrictions, tariffs or taxes on imports from countries where we manufacture or purchase products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.