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Furniture manufacturers in southern Malaysia are rushing to fulfil orders for American customers, racing against time as they prepare for a potential tariff hike under former US President Donald Trump’s trade policy.
Trump, who has proposed a 24% tariff on all imports from Malaysia, announced this week that most countries would instead receive a 10% rate for a 90-day period. Exporters in Malaysia have interpreted the move as a countdown to maximize shipments before steeper duties take effect, the Associated Press reported.
In Muar, a major furniture production hub in Johor state, workers at factories were operating at full tilt Friday. The city is central to Malaysia’s furniture industry, and the United States is its largest export market — accounting for around 60% of total exports, according to AP.
At the Corporate Specialist kitchen furniture factory, workers loaded container after container bound for the US
“We are working overtime now and trying our best to motivate our workers, because these 3 months will be very busy,” said Chief Financial Officer Peihing Tsai, speaking to the AP. Tsai noted that in the past four days alone, the factory had shipped more than 30 containers — the same volume it typically sends in a month.
Trump’s proposed tariffs could raise costs on a wide range of imported goods, including mobile phones, apparel, and furniture. Analysts say the move could mark the end of an era of low-cost consumer products that Americans have benefited from for decades.
Tsai expressed concern that if tariffs rise above 10%, US distributors might abandon Malaysian manufacturers. But relocating production to the United States isn’t a viable solution. “The cost is astronomical,” Tsai told AP. “The increased price will have to be borne by our end consumers.”
Candice Lim, general manager of furniture producer Natural Signature, suggested Trump’s tariff threats were more a negotiation tactic than a long-term policy shift.
“It is unlikely to go on in this way,” she said in an interview with AP. “Otherwise, how can the American people stand it?”
The next three months, manufacturers say, could prove crucial in shaping the future of Malaysia’s US -focused furniture trade.
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