President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of 25 percent on imported automobiles last month, and stated that he would also place the same levies on imported parts that don’t comply with the current United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement no later than May 3rd. However, following some lobbying on Ford’s part (along with its peers), Trump opted to give automakers two years to boost the percentage of domestic content in their vehicles that are assembled in the U.S. before new tariffs take effect. Now, Ford is among a group of automakers that’s leaning on some specialists to help navigate these new tariffs.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Ford and some of its peers are looking to data scientists to help navigate tariffs – specifically, those with expertise with supply chains. Ford originally created its Global Data Insights and Analytics team back in 2015, which provides data and analytical insights to executives at The Blue Oval, enabling them to make better decisions in a variety of areas. Now, those same specialists are being tasked with helping mitigate the impacts of tariffs, too.
“Our team is well prepared and supply chain, and tariffs are in their wheelhouse,” said Ford spokesman Said Deep. “Could we hire more people? We’re always looking. We’ve got a good team and feel well prepared in where we need to be right now in what is facing the industry. But you’re always on the lookout. You want to keep advancing the team.” Regardless, industry experts note a major uptick in terms of interest in hiring data scientists, in general, amid uncertainties pertaining to tariffs and the supply chain.
As Ford Authority recently reported, Ford CEO Jim Farley has been largely supportive of Trump’s tariffs, which makes sense given the fact that The Blue Oval builds the vast majority of its vehicles sold in the U.S. domestically – more than most all of its peers, in fact, though he also believes that more can be done to fortify the American automotive manufacturing sector. “We need to continue to work closely with the administration on a comprehensive set of policies to support our shared vision of that healthy and growing auto industry. And we are not there yet,” Farley said.
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