Rick Huether, CEO of Independent Can Company, has described the current situation in the metal packaging sector in the United States as “chaotic” due to the high tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed by President Donald Trump since his return to power. The Maryland-based company produces decorative cans for food and other products but relies heavily on imported tinplate due to limited domestic supply.
Huether points out that the United States only produces a quarter of the tin-coated steel that the industry needs. This forces companies to import up to 70% of the material, now subject to duties of up to 50%. As a result, production costs have skyrocketed, and customers are beginning to reduce their orders in the face of economic uncertainty.
Although the company does not plan immediate layoffs, it already closed a plant in Iowa after a previous wave of tariffs during Trump’s first term. Huether, who advocates for reindustrialization, criticizes the current government’s measures for their lack of a clear strategy: “We want certainty, at least to know what sales will be like in the next six months”.
Despite the complicated scenario, the entrepreneur is confident that his firm, active since the Great Depression, will be able to adapt and survive.
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