NASHVILLE—While manufacturers brace for continued inflation and higher operating costs tied to supply chain disruption, Gene Marks of software developer The Marks Group outlined four strategies at this year’s Epicor Insights conference designed to help companies manage economic uncertainty.
1. Get a tariff refund
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) estimated that over 330,000 importers paid approximately $166 billion in tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. However, the Supreme Court’s February ruling that labeled those tariffs unlawful created an opportunity for companies to seek refunds.
Marks admitted he incorrectly predicted that companies would not be able to obtain refunds after the ruling, but noted reimbursements are underway aided by CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal.
“If you want your money back from tariffs, you got to go to the original customs broker that was in charge of that order you placed,” Marks said. “And the [refunds] are for what’s called ‘liquidated tariffs;’ everything has to have been settled and paid and done with.”
He also advised firms to contact logistics providers like UPS, FedEx and DHL, which have publicly stated they will refund tariffs to their customers. However, he warned that reimbursements count as income and instructed companies to prepare for the associated tax implications.
2. Prepare for oil and petroleum increases
Manufacturers need to account for rising petroleum-related costs connected to conflict in the Middle East, which extends beyond gas prices.
“One way to audit your freight costs: Take your last six months of freight bills, upload them to ChatGPT or Claude and ask them to do the audit for you and compare rates,” Marks said. “They will do a pretty good job of finding some anomalies that you can bring to the attention of your freight logistics company.”
Marks also suggested freezing purchases of petroleum-derived office supplies, temporarily expanding remote work flexibility to help employees cut fuel expenses and buying products like solvents, lubricants and bearing grease in bulk.
“If you can afford to do it, if you’ve got the warehouse, if you want to shoulder the interest cost, consider doing that now,” Marks said. “Those prices are going to go up significantly over the next few months.”
Gene Marks speaks at Epicor Insights 2026.Nolan Beilstein
3. Find alternative suppliers
According to Marks, companies should explore alternative sourcing before additional cost pressures arrive. For international sourcing, he recommended using the World Trade Centers Association, a nonprofit organization that matches companies with foreign suppliers in tariff-friendly countries at no cost.
“They will not only match you, they will make introductions for you,” Marks said. “If the situation desires, they will accompany you on trips to that country and help facilitate any deals that you want to have.”
For domestic sourcing, Marks pointed to a free supplier portal operated by the Small Business Administration.
4. Target and spread your price increases
“If you’re going to [apply] a 10% price increase on all customers, that is dumb,” Marks said.
Instead, Marks said his “smartest clients” use data from their ERP systems to analyze sales and margins across their top 20 or 30 customers. This approach helps companies determine which customers can better absorb price increases.
Additionally, Marks mentioned the value of creating 90-day cash flow projections to guide pricing and purchasing decisions. He argued companies should factor in projected sales, margins and overhead, as well as major upcoming obligations like tax payments or large supplier invoices.
“Nobody knows where things are going to be in six months or 12 months,” Marks said. “I bet you that you will be able to tell me what your cash is three months from now.”
Other steps to consider
Marks encouraged manufacturers to update employment documentation, review state-level workplace rules and investigate health reimbursement accounts for employees. He also highlighted longer-term financial planning considerations, such as shifting from a pass-through entity to a C-Corp and investing in capital equipment.
Finally, he noted the growing role of AI in operational decision-making, arguing that manufacturers should move beyond consumer-style AI experimentation and focus on connecting AI tools directly to company data systems.
“Forget about the recipes for chicken pot pie,” Marks said. “You want to be using AI now in 2026 on your data. Look at MCP connectors, take your chatbot and connect it to all your data in your company. That will be the answer for you.”
