When the “reciprocal tariff” went live on April 2, 2025, an imposed a baseline 10 percent duty on virtually every imported product became a reality – with even steeper rates for countries running the largest trade deficits with the United States. Two weeks later a federal court allowed the tariffs to remain in effect while legal challenges play out. It confirms that the new tax is already baked into purchase prices for overseas equipment. For material-handling managers shopping for spiral conveyors, that instantly raises the cost of any unit – or components shipped from abroad. A domestic supply chain clearly has an acute advantage.
Because Ryson manufactures every spiral conveyor in the USA, our customers avoid this surcharge entirely. Yet this tariff shield is only the first advantage. Choosing a U.S.-built machine also hard-wires domestic supply chain resilience into day-to-day operations.
Reliability That Pays Back Long After the Tariff Debate
Tariffs grab headlines, but life-cycle cost decides whether a conveyor’s cost of ownership. Ryson spirals use heavy-duty nickel-plated chain, sealed-for-life bearings and a single-motor drive.
Flexibity to React to Demands
The future of domestic business may evolve to account for potential supply chain and inventory constraints. That is where Ryson Spirals shine. Because of their modular design, they offer flexibility and the ability to be field modified if line or product flow are necessary in a facility. This is also particularly important to customers that are looking to adapt or update existing properties as cost saving measures, instead of new construction.
A Smaller Footprint—and a Lower Energy Bill—to Match Tight Warehouse Real Estate
Space in modern fulfillment centers can top $20 per square foot per year. A white paper Ryson shows that swapping incline belts for a spiral physically frees up to 30 percent of the floor area previously devoted to elevation changes, while the single-motor design trims energy use and wiring complexity. For e-commerce, packaging, food & beverage or any CPG line where every square foot matters, that real-estate dividend quickly dwarfs the headline purchase price.
Service and Spare Parts with Immediate Availability
Tariffs are only part of the risk of depending on overseas suppliers; shipping bottlenecks and geopolitical surprises can strand critical components offshore. Because Ryson stocks components in Virginia and typically ships replacements the same day they are ordered, downtime measured in hours never stretches into weeks. Factory-trained technicians can also be onsite quickly anywhere in the United States—no visitor visas, no trans-Pacific flights, just rapid support through a domestic supply chain that stays local.
Built-In Lead-Time Security
A U.S.-based production line means components, assembly and final testing all happen inside the country you operate in. Recent Ryson blog posts highlight projects where customers trimmed weeks off project schedules simply because the spiral could ship by truck instead of vessel or air cargo. One article describes how simplified RFQs and domestic fabrication “make the proposal and project-planning cycle faster” for integrators and end users (read more). Another, published just two months ago, shows how a modular spiral design eased a warehouse bottleneck on a tight deadline—something that would have been impossible if parts were still crossing the Pacific when the install window opened (read more). You can also watch our video that shows some of our many design advantages .
Domestic Supply Chain Bottom Line for 2025 Capital Budgets
Trump tariffs now add at least 10 percent to imported goods, and trade experts see no near-term path to repeal. Purchasing a Ryson spiral conveyor—engineered, built and supported in the United States—mitigates that cost exposure while delivering proven reliability, a minimal footprint and lower energy consumption. When your operation depends on uptime and quick project turnarounds, those advantages are worth far more than the tariff you avoid. It should be noted that while domestic spiral sales from Ryson will not be affected by tariffs, the price of a few raw materials may increase over time.
If you’re planning upgrades for warehousing, intralogistics, e-commerce fulfillment, packaging or food & beverage lines, contact Ryson for a tariff-proof quote—and feel the difference that domestic supply chain resilience makes from day one.
