Philadelphia packaging company watches Canada tariffs – NBC10 Philadelphia

A century-old Philadelphia packaging company is closely watching tariffs and trade negotiations with Canada as it deals with rising costs for materials it uses every day.

F. P. Woll & Company, a family business in Northeast Philadelphia, makes packaging for other companies and their products, ranging from cameras to kitchen sinks. Fred Woll runs the company, which has about a dozen employees and a sprawling production operation.

“My father started here in the late 60s,” Woll said.

The latest tariffs and trade negotiations with Canada are creating another challenge for the business. One key material the company uses is CDX plywood from Canada.

“We build crates for people to ship stuff in. One of the products we use every day is CDX plywood and that comes from Canada,” Woll said.

Woll said domestic lumber has also become more expensive as demand has increased, while wait times have grown longer.

The company’s concerns extend beyond the materials it needs for its own products.

Woll said tariffs on materials used by its customers, including aluminum, can also affect his business if those customers cut production.

“If they’re not making a product to ship, I’m not making them a product to ship their product in,” Woll said.

Canada is Pennsylvania’s biggest trading partner. Data shows the state sent about $14 billion in goods to Canada last year and imported about $13 billion.

Woll said tariffs had already taken a financial toll on the company even before the latest U.S.-Canada trade dispute. He has applied for a refund related to previous tariffs but said the company has not received anything so far.

“$27,000 is part of the way to investing in a new piece of equipment, a new hire — this is money we did not budget to be taxed on,” Woll said.

Lumber isn’t the only material becoming more expensive at the company’s Philadelphia operation.

Woll pointed to foam used in its packaging and said its costs had also climbed.

“All this is petrochemical distillates. That’s up 29 percent,” Woll said.

Woll said the company has survived for more than a century in part because of the diversity of its business.

“One might be up, one might be down, but the boat still stays afloat,” Woll said.

But with costs rising in several areas, tariffs are adding another concern.

“All the tariffs, the Canadian one is just the latest,” Woll said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.