Many Austin companies are reevaluating how and where they manufacture their products with tariffs on Chinese imports reaching historic highs. In a recent Austin Business Journal feature, Alen CEO and founder Warburg Lee shared insight into how the air purification company is navigating the shifting U.S.-China trade landscape.
Alen, a longtime Austin-based brand known for its smart HEPA purifiers, began moving portions of its production out of China years ago. Today, about 50 to 60 percent of Alen’s manufacturing still occurs there, but operations in South Carolina and Mexico are growing. Lee says that while producing in North America is “far more” expensive, the impact of tariffs is accelerating his plan to reduce dependence on China.
“The tariffs have kind of equalized the playing field, but we don’t know how long the tariffs are going to last,” Lee told the Austin Business Journal. Alen remains committed to serving global customers with top-tier air purification technology, while managing risk through a more distributed supply chain.
