By GREGORY ZELLER //
A leading American provider of high-quality scientific laboratory equipment is railing against national economic policies that are putting a major squeeze on its customers and hurting its bottom line.
Northport-based FireflySci – a global leader in the design and manufacturing of cuvettes, calibration standards and quartz-glass optics – is calling out “significant challenges” posed by President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging international-tariff strategy.
The Trump Administration has made tariffs a cornerstone of its economic agenda – ostensibly, to turn the tables on foreign governments and industries the administration says have taken advantage of U.S. markets.
Critics decry a transparent attempt to offset tax cuts for the rich and expert economists have lambasted the strategy, noting that tariffs are commonly used to discourage consumption of goods from targeted nations, not balance trade deficits on goods the imposing nation relies upon.
The U.S. needs goods from Canada, Mexico, China and other international trade partners to keep its economy afloat. The administration’s stiff tariffs (for example, a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, scheduled to take effect March 12) are driving the costs of those international imports higher – essentially creating a tax paid by U.S. importers, not foreign exporters, with the costs ultimately passed on to American consumers.
Simcha Woitovich: Sorrowful surge.
Worse, foreign governments are retaliating in kind, promising to slap higher tariffs on goods exported by the United States – sure to put a dent in bottom lines across numerous American industries and further strain American shoppers.
The burgeoning trade war is already generating casualties. Among them: FireFlySci, which launched in 2006 and has grown into a premier supplier of laboratory equipment for customers ranging from small research firms to huge scientific institutions, including Swiss pharmaceuticals giant F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Illinois-based medical-device stalwart Abbott Labs and New Mexico’s Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The company said this week that Trump Administration tariffs have already caused a “surge” in its production costs, “resulting in unavoidable price increases” across its product line.
Hurting the most: new tariffs on imported glass, essential to the creation of FireFlySci’s custom cuvettes and other precision equipment.
Founder and CEO Simcha Woitovich said in a statement that “maintaining the high standards that our customers expect is our top priority” – but lamented that, under current economic conditions, maintaining those standards is simply more expensive than it was a few short months ago.
“Unfortunately, the Trump tariffs on essential supplies have forced us to adjust our pricing,” Woitovich said. “We understand this brings financial strain to laboratories worldwide, and we’re working tirelessly to minimize the impact while maintaining quality.”
Donald Trump: Tariffs or bust.
FireFlySci’s criticism of the Trump tariffs comes just three months after the company – citing “escalating economic pressures” – announced a new payment policy, requiring customers to pay their bills in full when they place their orders.
Approving customer requests for extended payment terms, in some cases extending out as far as 90 days, was posing “significant cash flow challenges” for his relatively small business, according to Woitovich.
“The decision to require immediate payment wasn’t made lightly,” the CEO said in November.
Now, Trump Administration policies are causing a “ripple effect” through its customer base, FireFlySci noted, with rising operational costs putting a stranglehold on research-and-development budgets.
The company is encouraging its customers to discover savings through bulk purchases and by exploring its comprehensive product catalogue to satisfy specific research needs, as opposed to focusing exclusively on customized products.
And FireFlySci remains confident that mounting social and political pressures will “prompt productive conversations around policies affecting both small businesses and the scientific community at large,” according to a company statement.
But as of now, White House strategies are hurting both his business and his industry, Woitovich noted, and have directly caused FireFlySci’s across-the-board price increases.
“Even in the face of these difficulties, our dedication to supporting scientific discovery and education will not waver,” the CEO said. “FireFlySci will continue to provide the tools researchers need to tackle today’s most critical challenges.”
