Turning Tariffs into Opportunity: How Cedric Millar Group Supports U.S. and Canadian Manufacturers

March 4, 2025

With the enactment of new U.S. tariffs and Canada’s counter-tariffs, manufacturers on both sides of the border face new supply chain complexities, rising costs, and operational uncertainty. In this shifting trade environment, strategic supply chain management is critical to maintaining competitiveness. Cedric Millar Group is uniquely positioned to help manufacturers in Canada and the U.S. navigate these challenges with tailored, technology-driven solutions.

4PL Optimization & Cost Containment

Tariffs increase costs, but optimizing logistics can help offset them. Cedric Millar’s 4PL solutions leverage freight consolidation, network optimization, and mode-shifting strategies to drive savings. By consolidating shipments and optimizing freight flows, we improve efficiency and minimize financial strain.

Our dynamic carrier selection helps manufacturers adjust to shifting trade conditions, identifying alternative routes and transportation modes to mitigate cost exposure.

Cedric Millar’s Echelon™ Freight Audit & Payment (FAP) Services ensures manufacturers are not overpaying for transportation. Echelon automates invoice audits, identifies billing discrepancies, and validates tariff-related surcharges, providing full transparency into freight spend and optimizing payment terms.

Technology-Driven Solutions with Beacon Analytics™

Understanding how tariffs impact pricing, transportation, and overall supply chain performance requires data-driven decision-making. Our Beacon Analytics™ solution delivers real-time visibility into cost fluctuations, alternative sourcing strategies, inventory management, and risk assessment models.

Beacon Analytics’ scenario modeling enables businesses to anticipate tariff impacts and adjust procurement and distribution strategies. Additionally, its AI-driven demand forecasting helps optimize inventory, reduce stockouts, and minimize excess inventory costs, improving cash flow and supply chain agility.

Cross-Border Logistics Efficiency

For manufacturers engaged in U.S.-Canada trade, streamlined cross-border logistics are more critical than ever. Shippers First Logistics, a Cedric Millar Company, specializes in cross-border freight management, regulatory compliance, and customs brokerage coordination to ensure the seamless movement of goods.

Through Shippers First Logistics, we work with partners in Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs) and bonded warehouses on both sides of the border to help mitigate tariff impacts. By strategically utilizing FTZs, manufacturers can defer or reduce duties on raw materials and finished goods, improving cost efficiency.

Strategic Supply Chain Diversification

The new tariffs underscore the importance of reassessing sourcing and supplier networks. Cedric Millar helps manufacturers evaluate alternative sourcing strategies, supplier diversification to reduce dependency on high-tariff regions.

We assist companies in developing multi-source procurement strategies and analyzing the total cost of ownership (TCO) to balance tariff exposure, lead times, and transportation costs. Our network modeling provides insights into optimal supplier locations, helping businesses remain competitive.

Expanding Cost-Saving Strategies

Manufacturers can adopt proactive strategies to reduce financial strain and improve operational efficiency. Cedric Millar offers solutions to offset rising costs while maintaining service levels.

One key strategy is network optimization and route engineering, identifying lower-cost shipping lanes and leveraging regional hubs to lower transportation expenses.

We assist manufacturers with supplier negotiations and contract restructuring, ensuring optimal pricing and payment terms to counteract tariff-related cost increases.

Cedric Millar supports manufacturers in adopting lean inventory management, balancing stock levels to maintain service without excessive carrying costs. Our Beacon Analytics™ solution fine-tunes inventory levels, minimizes stock obsolescence, and aligns supply with demand fluctuations, preventing unnecessary expenses.

Through these cost-saving strategies, Cedric Millar ensures that manufacturers remain competitive despite shifting trade dynamics.

Navigating Change with Confidence

As the trade landscape evolves, manufacturers must remain agile and proactive. Cedric Millar Group provides the strategic expertise, technology, and operational support needed to navigate tariff impacts while maintaining supply chain efficiency. Our team stands ready to support U.S. and Canadian manufacturers in adapting to these changes and securing long-term resilience.

Let us help you turn today’s trade challenges into tomorrow’s competitive advantage.