No ‘Reasonable’ Way for Sonos to Dump Chinese Sourcing, Says Its 2nd Exclusion Request

Sonos can’t move production outside China “in any reasonable or efficient manner,” it said Thursday in a List 4A tariff-exclusion request for the wireless mesh network audio components it imports under the 8517.62.00.90 subheading. “Most elements of our supply chain” are in China, where sourcing for the global consumer tech industry is “concentrated,” said Sonos in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative docket. “There is no other single market in the world where all of the components and expertise required to produce our wireless home audio systems can be obtained at the scale necessary to support consumer demand for our products.” Shifting production to a third country “would require us to recreate an entirely new supply chain,” but “we would still need to import many of our components from China,” it said. “Identifying substitute components or new sources of products is a complex process that takes time and a significant investment to ensure we find trustworthy suppliers who meet our standards.” It’s the second exclusion request for Sonos, which applied Dec. 18 for a List 4A exemption on the wireless mesh network speakers it sources from Chinese manufacturers (see 1912190035).