The Toll of Tariffs

STRING SKILLS: Machine operator Maria Dacruz works on the production floor of Neocorp Inc., a standard and technical rope and bungee cord maker in Pawtucket. Neocorp is among the local manufacturers that have dealt with inflated tariffs in 2025. 
PBN PHOTO/
MICHAEL SALERNO

In 2025, factories and manufacturers were hit with the sudden and unexpected expense of higher tariffs. For many, this threw businesses into turmoil as they struggled to find materials, which in turn caused supply chain disruptions, and increased overall pricing.

In Jacquelyn Voghel’s December 5 story, “The Toll of Tariffs,” she explores the impact tariffs have had on local Rhode Island businesses, with reference to the survey conducted by Polaris MEP, Rhode Island Manufacturers Association (RIMA) and Rhode Island Commerce Corporation (CommerceRI) between May 20 and June 27, 2025: Tariff Impact on RI Manufacturing Businesses.

Like Neocorp, Inc. who has passed price increases to customers, Jacob Sanchez of igus Inc. in East Providence, states that expanding the facility and hiring local workers will help but does not protect the company from higher costs on raw materials that are not available in the US. Diving deeper, Jacquelyn Voghel wrote how Ward’s Manufacturing LLC. has been adapting to tariffs – changing vendors instead of hiring new employees – in a separate December 5 article.

The Toll of Tariffs
By Jacquelyn Voghel – 12/05/2025

If there was one thing Rose Wood had been able to count on as a buyer at Pawtucket manufacturer Neocorp Inc., it was that prices for raw materials would increase each year, but usually in predictable amounts. In 2025, that has gone out the window.