Navigating Tariffs, Cost Pressure & Opportunity in 2026

Manufacturers in the United States may be mortgaging their futures – avoiding investments today that could take costs out of their businesses long term. It’s the sort of decision making that yields future competitiveness and innovation to foreign rivals or forward-looking domestic producers.

Nov. 13, 2025

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There are many potential whys for investment delays – tariff uncertainty, concerns over the state of the economy, rising costs, regulations – but the results are the same. Companies are delaying spending in hopes that conditions will improve rather than investing in cost-takeout strategies that could boost their performances, new research suggests.

Endeavor Business Intelligence, conducting research for EFESO Management Consultants, surveyed 150 middle-market-to-large manufacturers to study how companies are taking costs out of operations. More than cost cutting, cost takeout is a disciplined approach that could include budget cuts paired with strategic investments that lower costs in the future. Respondents relied on an average of four cost take-out tactics to meet their goals, indicating that no method is a silver bullet.

Download now to view the research report.