AlphaUSA has served Livonia and the automotive industry alike for 67 years. However, as President and COO Chuck Dardas outlined in an op-ed for The Detroit News, the current tariff policies have jeopardized the livelihoods of the company and the manufacturing industry as a whole.
At the town hall, Dardas gave the example of the nuts and bolts used in Alpha’s automotive fasteners: some are imported from Canada, others from Ohio, and the parts themselves are manufactured in Taiwan.
In 2018, the Trump Administration levied a 25% tariff on steel. Alpha was unaffected, as certain items– including the nuts and bolts used in their production– were excluded from the tax. Now, those exclusions no longer apply, having been cancelled in March 2025. The initial 25% tariff has become a 50% tariff. Factor in the capacity constraints on the domestic steel industry and things become significantly more complex for companies like Alpha.
“We’ve been triangulated in how this has hit our company,” Dardas told the town hall. “This is all for us buying some nuts from somebody in Mississauga, some from Ohio, and part of these bolts that we’re buying right here in Michigan.”
All in all, the costs for this small, independent business have gone up by around $250,000 per month, or an additional $3,000,000 annually.
Click Here to read the full Tariffs Townhall recap.
