China Tariffs: Second ECIA Member Webinar on New Developments, Implications

Atlanta, GA – The Electronic Component Industry Association (ECIA) conducted a second webinar to brief members about the next round of tariffs that went into effect August 23 as well as proposed tariffs that are being discussed currently. While the first two rounds of tariffs affect over 1000 products, the proposed third round is expected to affect over 6000 products.

Robin Gray, General Counsel for ECIA, led the forum, which provided a brief background of the tariffs, an overview of the current situation, implementation considerations, and some insights about the application for drawbacks and exclusions. An extensive list of ‘issues’ was also discussed, including how ‘value’ is determined, the impact on EDI, payment systems,reporting and more. In addition, the results of ECIA Member surveys about the topic were presented. At the end of the presentation Gray answered questions posed by participants.

The forum also included a few Quick Polls for members to add their voice to the discussion. ECIA has a members-only China Tariff Resources page within the Industry Issues section of its website (ecianow.org) with valuable links, and other informational material. Members must be logged in to access the resources.

“There is obviously a lot of interest in this important topic, which affects a vast number of our members,” said Bill Bradford, President and CEO of ECIA.  “We see an essential part of our role as the association for the component industry to be a source of timely information and to help organize our members to work together on behalf of the industry, and we are very pleased by the level of participation in this forum.”

Over 200 members registered for the webinar. “As the tariff situation continues to evolve, this webinar was an important touch point for both manufacturers and distributors to understand the impact on our industry and the methods being discussed for dealing with the increased costs to the supply chain,” commented ECIA Member Blair Haas, CEO of Bud Industries. “ECIA is on top of the issues and a huge help in supporting their members and the industry.”