Supply Chain Research

Solar power equipment manufacturer Sunpower has put a $20 million U.S. investment on hold unless its panels and cells are exempted from the recently imposed 30% tariffs introduced by President Trump. Sunpower argues its technology is different and so shouldn’t be captured by the case. This is one example of the blowback from tariffs – higher consumer prices are another already seen in the parallel dishwasher case. The scale of Sunpower’s investment seems unlikely to sway the administration from a politically important case. Panjiva data shows Sunpower’s seaborne imports to the U.S. surge...