While trade tensions between the United States and China are tightening, distribution companies become the collateral damage of a global economic confrontation. Customs prices, regulatory restrictions, retaliation measures: the brands playground is no longer just competitive, it is now geopolitical. In this unstable context, how to anticipate, absorb and react?
Political decisions with operational consequences
The recent Customary duties Americans on Chinese products, combined with the closure of the minimis regime, upsets globalized supply chains. This tightening directly affects:
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- THE import costs on consumer segments (textiles, electronics, toys),
- there Production planning for the second semesterin particular the Q4 peaks,
- and the capacity of brands to maintain their margins without affecting the final price.
The consequences result in delays, logistical additional costs, stock breaks, and arbitrations forced to distribution areas.
Structural dependence at China
Diversifying sourcing areas is not decreed. Alternatives such as Vietnam, Cambodia and India have lower industrial capacitieslong transition times and a unit cost often higher than that of China.
In some sectors, the quality and scalability of Chinese production remain unrivaled. It is not a choice by comfort, but an operational reality. Even luxury brands subcontract certain lines, sometimes under NDA, to keep margins consistent with their growth ambitions.
Three immediate priorities
Faced with this reality, the challenge is no longer to avoid the crisis, but Restructure its exhibition. Three axes of action are essential:
1. Renegotiate the sharing of the logistical cost
Brands must quickly initiate discussions with their logistics and suppliers:
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- Revision of prices to the real,
- Flexibility clauses in the event of additional customs officials,
- Partial pooling of transport or insurance increases.
2. Deploy a reasoned dual sourcing strategy
It is not a question of abandoning China, but of building a Mirror production ecosystem ::
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- Distribute the manufacturing between several industrial basins,
- segment the products according to their sensitivity to the rate,
- Strengthen the traceability of components to anticipate regulatory blockages.
3. Adjust PRICING Method
The price increase should not be a taboo. She must be:
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- progressive and segmented according to the elasticity of the product,
- accompanied by customer communication on transparency and quality,
- correlated with promotional cycles and demand peaks.
An economic war that imposes new reflexes
World trade has become a Field of moving forceswhere states regain control of flows, standards and commercial alliances.
Companies must integrate geopolitical risk management in their steering tools. This implies:
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- active regulatory watch,
- Tariff test stress scenarios,
- And reactive governance capable of redeploying resources quickly.
Tactical roadmap
| Action | Expected impact |
|---|---|
| Revaluate incoterms and contractual deadlines | Gain operational flexibility |
| Secure critical flows for Q4 | Prevent breaks in times of high demand |
| Distribute production in two minimum zones | Reduce logistical and political dependence to one country |
| Readjust prices on high margin ranges | Absorb part of the increases without direct impact on call products |
| Involve the finance, purchase and supply teams | Align short -term decisions and medium -term strategy |
Take control over the value chain
Trade is no longer a simple set of volumes, margin and branding. It’s a Economic sovereignty exercise For brands. The era of depoliticized globalization is over. Companies can no longer afford to undergo. They must learn to arbitrate,, anticipate And negotiate In a world where politics and trade have become inseparable again.
