Jeannette glass plant feels impact of trade war
A global trade war between the United States and China has impacted a Jeannette factory that makes customized glass products for residential, commercial and industrial use.
Jeannette Specialty Glass, which produces high-end bathroom and kitchen sinks, as well as cooking and baking dishes and light globes, found that the cost of the wooden vanities it purchases from China for its glass sinks is increasing because of tariffs, said Christina Jansure, vice president of sales and marketing for the maker of crystal-clear borosilicate glass.
The two nations declared a 90-day “truce” to the trade war that was triggered in July when President Trump placed tariffs on Chinese aluminum and steel and China responded with its own set of tariffs on products imported from the United States.
As trade representatives from both countries plan to meet in January to try to resolve the dispute by March 1, Jeannette Specialty Glass is considering bypassing the tariffs by having the vanities produced elsewhere, possibly in Vietnam, Jansure said.
“Tariffs don’t always help manufacturers,” Jansure said prior to a visit to the plant Wednesday by Michelle Christian, Mid-Atlantic regional administrator of the Small Business Administration.
But, Christian, whose region covers Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, said after the tour the Trump administration tariffs have helped some manufacturers. One of those is Alumisource in Monessen, which has seen an increase in its business of selling raw materials to the aluminum industry in the form of custom shredded and blended aluminum scrap.
“The tariffs are making a positive impact in Westmoreland County,” Christian said, as well as the bill Trump signed in December 2017, cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.
With the growing economy, Christian — who also toured Westmoreland County Community College and General Carbide, a Hempfield small manufacturer — said there is a clear need for a skilled workforce to fill the jobs.
“We need to find the partnership with education,” Christian said, noting that an exiting program that coordinates schools with employer needs can be a pilot program for other areas.
The biggest concern for Jeannette Specialty Glass’ manufacturing manager Tom Kadar is how to find skilled employees who will come to work on time and remain on the job. The plant can produce hundreds of units in an eight-hour shift.
“The work ethic is the issue, ” Kader said. “We see this (entitlement mentality) with a new generation of workers.”
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.
