• Steel wire manufacturer says tariffs have boosted business for his operations in Michigan: ‘The math has just totally changed’
• President Trump’s tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and other foreign products have been aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing
• Critics argue the president’s trade strategy is raising costs for consumers and causing uncertainty for small businesses 

For steel wire manufacturer Drew Greenblatt, business is booming — a recent upswing he says likely wouldn’t have happened without President Donald Trump’s new tariff policies.

In 2023, Greenblatt’s company Madsen Steel Wire acquired a powder coating facility in Bronson — southeast of Coldwater in Branch County — to complement its production of shelving, racks and other steel wire products in northern Indiana and an affiliate company in Maryland.

In recent weeks, Greenblatt said an order of 1,500 custom wire racks set to be finished in Michigan came in from a US-based buyer who’d previously imported similar products from Mexico.

Other major orders in the works from clients looking to reshore manufacturing needs have Greenblatt considering expanding Michigan operations to include welding and wire cutting, and the company has already purchased adjacent land “in a burst of optimism about how excited we are about manufacturing in Michigan.”

“It’s jobs like these which will justify building more factory space in Michigan,” Greenblatt said. “Those jobs … would never have happened unless there was this change of this tariff climate.”

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Since taking office, Trump has pursued aggressive tariffs on a wide array of imports, including steel and aluminum, foreign-made cars and parts and products from nations the administration argues haven’t treated the US fairly in trade.

The abrupt changes and resulting tensions between the US and key trading partners like Canada, Mexico and China have prompted concerns about rising prices and the long-term impacts on Michigan, where the Detroit Three automotive companies and their suppliers have long relied on a supply chain that transcends state and national borders.

But this week’s announcement by automaker Stellantis of $13 billion in planned domestic investments — including a $100 million investment in the Warren Truck Assembly Plant expected to add hundreds of jobs in Michigan — was touted as an onshoring success story.

The Stellantis announcement and Benton Harbor-based appliance manufacturer Whirlpool’s $300 million plan for Ohio are proof that “America’s manufacturing sector is surging forward with unprecedented momentum,” the White House said this week.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who celebrated the Stellantis news Tuesday, has argued that Trump’s tariff policies could ultimately lead to a decline in trade between key international partners, resulting in major job losses, widespread supply chain disruptions and shortages in fuel, parts and produce.

So far, Michigan manufacturing jobs have remained effectively flat under Trump, falling by about 200 jobs to 594,300 in August, according to preliminary federal data.

Prices have continued to climb, with the Consumer Price Index up about 3% over the past year, with food prices climbing faster.

Whitmer previously directed state departments to assess the potential impact of tariffs on Michigan, suggesting as much as 60% of costs could be passed along to consumers. In a note to investors this week, banking firm Goldman Sachs said it expects US Consumers to absorb about 55% of the tariff costs this year.

Though some manufacturers have fared better than others under tariffs, industry experts have said the uncertainty and frequent changes that have defined Trump’s second-term trade policy has many companies holding off on long-term investments.

That’s in part because they’re not happening in a vacuum: interest rates are high, costs are up, consumer demand is flagging, all of which could pose problems for business in coming months.

As of August — the most recent data available due to delays from the federal government shutdown — the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported manufacturing jobs were down 78,000 nationally since this time last year. Though Michigan’s total jobs were slightly up from August 2024, jobs in the manufacturing sector are down 1.5% in that time frame.

“A lot of the issues have been the extent of uncertainty associated with tariffs, maybe even more so than the tariffs themselves,” said Jason Miller, a supply chain management professor at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business. “No one wants to make long-term capital investments that may be rendered valueless if tariff policy were to change.”

While there has been a slight uptick in US steel production since tariffs took effect, Miller cautioned that higher costs on steel-based products due to tariffs on other goods could result in people buying less overall. That could reduce demand for steel and make for a “net negative” impact, he said.

Greenblatt, the steel wire manufacturer, acknowledged that the tariff shifts mean big adjustments for many businesses. But he said he sees the changes as a long-term positive for his company and the US and Michigan-based steel producers he sources materials from.

“It’s going to give us more at-bats, it’s going to give us more wins, which means we have to hire more people,” Greenblatt said, adding, “The math has just totally changed.”

“In the past, I think a lot of companies would just say, ‘You know what, we’re just going to build this product in China,’” he continued. “Now, I think people are saying, wait a second, it makes more sense to do it in Michigan and not over there.”

Business Watch