Stoughton Trailers CEO Bob Wahlin says the federal government needs to do more to stop the Chinese government from creating monopolies that threaten U.S. security and the economy.
Wahlin in an interview with WisBusiness at the company’s Stoughton manufacturing facility praised recent tariffs for blocking companies backed by the Chinese government from “dumping” trailers at lower rates than U.S. material costs. Before the tariffs, he said Chinese government-subsidized products nearly destroyed the semi-truck trailer chassis manufacturing industry.
“They took the standard long run, large fleet type of business. So that took us to zero,” he said. “So that took us to zero so that that caused us to shut down our Evansville plant, lay people off. Really excellent that product line.”
Since the U.S. efforts, his company has added production lines to its Evansville, Stoughton, Mississippi and Texas facilities, Wahlin said. The Stoughton facility is the largest employer in the city, with about 700 workers, and the four facilities combined employ about 2,300, he added.
“So we went from zero to a rate that can service 25-to-30,000 container chassis a year,” he said. “And this last year, we actually built that rate up to about 550 chassis a week.”
The goal now is to block the competition from finding ways to avoid the Chinese tariffs, such as using intermediary companies in Thailand, he said.
Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chair U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Allouez, during a roundtable at the Stoughton assembly line said the federal government needs to do more to strengthen commercial businesses.
“When you do anything that allows our economy to function, day to day, you’re relying on the hard work of the men and women in this facility, many of whom we see back there,” he said.
Gallagher and two committee members alongside a panel of 11 manufacturing representatives – some whom work with the Department of Defense – also said robust commercial manufacturing industries are crucial for succesful military products.
“But it’s kind of a whack-a-mole as we chase the Chinese government, as they try to find other avenues to flood the U.S. market with this product,” Wahlin said before joining the roundtable.
Aside from Whalin and Gallagher, the panel included:
*United Steelworkers Local 9777 President Steve Kremer;
*Fincantieri Marinette Marine Group CEO Mark Vandroff;
*Worthington Industries Vice President of Corporate Communications Sonya Higginbotham;
*Whirlpool & InSinkErator President Joe Dillon;
*TitletownTech Managing Director Craig Dickman;
*Fairbanks Morse Vice President of Washington Operations Paul Roden;
*Walker Forge, Inc. Vice President, Sales & Marketing Mike Gray;
*Plews & Edelmann Executive Chairman David Rashid;
*Auxin Solar CEO Mamun Rashid;
*Ranking Committee Member U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.;
*Committee Member U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-lll.;
Watch the roundtable event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvEHtbwyp0c&ab_channel=TheSelectCommitteeontheCCP
