This has probably been the most challenging time for the industry in the last few years since the pandemic. The storm started early in January with a couple of tariff announcements for China and Mexico. A couple of days later, in the first week of February, they postponed the tariffs on Mexico. Then March arrived with a new tariff increase on China, and, again, Mexico was in the loop. In April, on Liberation Day—including many countries—tariff increases were announced (excluding Mexico); China received an additional 34%, which ended up at 145% after a week of tough announcements between China and USA. Everyone in May assumed that was the new reality. Many companies finally reacted to the tariff increases, and on May 12 we received news that they had negotiated to leave it at 30% for China. Starting June, we have been waiting for the final word on what is going to happen after a federal court blocked the tariffs imposed by the government and an appeal was presented.

As a team in Mansfield, like many of you, we have been working restlessly to take measures to mitigate the impact of this situation and remain calm to react appropriately when required. Our price increase was announced in March as a standard year-over-year adjustment that we haven’t done since October 2022. We know that it’s difficult to digest, but as a company that has been in the USA for almost a century and in the world for almost 145 years, we are confident that it will give us oxygen and support to continue to serve you with the highest quality and service standards in the industry. Keep in mind that we are among the top 2 manufacturers in the Americas and among the top 5 in the world. With that in mind, we want to strengthen our position and continue serving you no matter the size of the storm. We are in this together.

In the meantime, the new-home industry is reacting as expected, with some skepticism about starting new projects in both the multi-family and single-family segments, while the remodeling side of the operation remains a bit stronger. Projections for the end of the year have been evolving, but who can predict the next few months when we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next 48 hours regarding the political powers now behind the tariff announcements?

Our invitation is to remain confident that the market will soon evolve positively—maybe not at the expected rates, but projects are still there. The country’s housing deficit is evident, and opportunities remain. Everyone needs toilets and sinks, and many still enjoy the pleasure of using tubs, so remain confident that Mansfield will be here for many more years supporting your projects