Donald and Melania Trump in Washington on January 8.
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The USA is Switzerland’s most important trading partner: what do local companies think about the tariffs that Donald Trump is threatening?No time? blue News summarizes for youThe USA is Switzerland’s most important trading partner: goods and services worth CHF 56.6 billion were exported there in 2023.Over 500 Swiss companies are active in the USA.The tariffs threatened by Trump would hardly affect the largest of these companies, as they generally produce in the USA.The situation is different for the pharmaceutical industry, which also fears that drug prices will fall under Trump.
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Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States this Monday in Washington. He has announced a “record number” of decrees for his first day in office.Thanks to their local presence, Swiss companies at least consider themselves well prepared for his tariff plans. The USA is Switzerland’s most important trading partner in 2021, ahead of Germany. In 2023, Switzerland exported goods worth CHF 56.6 billion to the United States.However, those who produce in the USA themselves believe they are on the safe side. According to Rahul Sahgal, Director of the Swiss-US Chamber of Commerce, more than 500 Swiss companies are active in the USA. Many of them have several subsidiaries in different states, more than 4000 in total.Nestlé: 95 percent from US productionOf the listed Swiss companies, around 100 are present in the USA. Many produce and sell locally and would hardly be affected by the higher tariffs that Trump is threatening Europe with, according to a survey conducted by the AWP news agency.”95 percent of what we sell in the US is produced in the US,” said a spokeswoman for food manufacturer Nestlé. Sales in Zone North America, which includes the USA and Canada, amounted to 26 billion Swiss francs in 2023, accounting for just over a quarter of total sales.
Nestlé headquarters in Vevey: the Group is well positioned in the USA.
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The tenor is similar at construction chemicals and adhesives manufacturer Sika, which operates 50 factories on the other side of the Atlantic. “The impact is zero, as we produce everything we sell in the USA locally,” said a spokesperson. The Zug-based group generated annual sales of around 2.3 billion Swiss francs in the country in 2023.Pharma hit harderEmmi has also long had its own production facilities in the USA. “The majority of our cheese specialties are produced locally in the US and we also export some from Switzerland,” said a spokeswoman for the Lucerne-based dairy producer.”Of the products our group sells in the US, 75 percent are manufactured locally,” an ABB spokesperson also said. The energy and automation technology company generated sales of 8.3 billion Swiss francs on the other side of the Atlantic in 2023.The pharmaceutical industry, on the other hand, is likely to be hit harder by hi