Houston metal manufacturer shutters due to ‘crippling’ steel tariffs

The Houston Chronicle reports on the closing.

United Structures of America will close locations in Texas and Tennessee due to "crippling" tariffs, The Houston Chronicle reports. In total, the closings will result in about 118 layoffs:

“The closing is necessitated by a number of crippling business circumstances that were not foreseeable,” wrote David Johnson, an attorney with Butler Snow LLP to the state, on behalf of the company.

United Structures of America is the latest local manufacturer to cut jobs and close operations as a result of the increasing costs of tariffs on steel. In July, Tramontina USA Inc. said it would close a plant in Sugar Land and lay off more than 100 workers as a result of the tariffs.

The company is the latest manufacturer to close under the pressure of steel tariffs. With the Section 232 tariffs still firmly in place, more casualties in the steelmaking industry are likely to come.

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Emell Derra Adolphus has more than a decade of writing and journalism experience. He is senior editor of ENR’s Top Lists and Survey Rankings at ENR magazine and frequently contributes stories on technology, climate resiliency, diversity, equity and inclusion.