- March 24, 2025
IT Procurement Update
Tariff & Foreign Exchange Implications on the North American Technology Hardware Supply Chain
March 24, 2025.
WBM is closely monitoring the potential impact of tariffs and the Canadian dollar valuation on the technology supply chain on behalf of our customer community, and we have now begun to receive confirmation from North American Distribution of pricing increases.
Most recently, on March 24th, WBM has been advised from multiple channel partners that bonded warehouses are no longer exempt from tariff, meaning that goods moving through US distribution will be deemed to be a US country of origin, even in the event that the goods themselves were manufactured elsewhere.
This is adding more complexity to and ever-changing situation and adding more pricing risk to goods on route to Canada. As a result, large enterprises, including within the WBM client community, have been pulling forward purchases for upcoming requirements, and this is driving a significant draw down on available inventories within the supply chain.
Confirmed Supply Chain Updates as of March 24
End User Computing & Peripherals
- As of March 12th, the Canadian government has hit another $14.2 billion worth of imported U.S. goods with fresh tariffs, totaling $29.8 billion in retaliation. According to the federal government, the list of additional products affected by counter-tariffs includes computers, servers, and display monitors.
- We’ve now seen price increases from multiple manufacturers due to pressure on the Canadian dollar with further increases to start April 1st through May.
- In particular we are seeing very significant depletion of inventory and availability on monitors, with backorder ETA’s up to 3 months.
- Some non-US manufacturers are now working on re-routing shipping in an effort to mitigate potential tariff implications.
Meeting Room Hardware
- Price increases confirmed from several major meeting room vendors ranging from 8-11% that will be coming into effect as early as April 1st.
Print Product & Supplies
- We are now in receipt of price increase notifications from multiple manufacturers ranging from 19% + depending on the print supplies vendor.
- We have received notification of upcoming pricing increases on mainframe hardware from multiple Tier One print manufacturers.
- We continue to monitor toner and supplies pricing and are not seeing immediate changes at this point. WBM is holding and building a toner and supplies inventory across our Western Canadian warehousing and logistics facilities.
- WBM has been working actively with our supply chain partners and has placed a 5 day Canadian inventory hold on over 100 commonly required devices, representing most of the available stock in Canada.
Chips & Semiconductors
- We are following the stated sector tariff of 25% on semiconductors and chips, meaning that US manufacturers of ICT equipment that import chips from any country would face a 25% price increase due to the tariff. This is a moving target but is currently slated to take effect April 2nd and would trigger a significant change in pricing in these areas.
Impact on WBM IT Customer Community across Western Canada:
Outside of the on again off again tariff uncertainty, the primary driver of looming pricing adjustments was already the CDN dollar valuation and financial factors such as potential Bank of Canada rate cuts. These factors are contributing to the need for the major IT hardware manufacturers (importers) to adjust their currency hedging and pricing requirements. With Mexico and Canada tariffs taking effect on March 4th—though their impact on IT equipment remains uncertain—further price adjustments are anticipated throughout 2025.
As a result, we are now seeing increased prices for technology products, and supply chain disruptions as Canadian organizations pull forward purchases.
If you have known technology requirements upcoming, WBM is now strongly recommending that you consider strategies to move these purchases forward to ensure pricing and availability. Our Procurement Services Team has real-time inventory insights from all Tier 1 manufacturers and distributors in Canada, and we can work with you to provide managed inventory services and/or deferred leasing payment arrangements as required to facilitate any risk mitigation strategies you wish to pursue.
For assistance, please contact your WBM Account Manager or reach out directly to our Procurement Services team at 888-275-4926 or sales@wbm.ca. You can also check real-time stock availability via the WBM Direct procurement portal at wbmdirect.ca.
WBM is committed to providing a local team and a Western Canadian channel partner in working to mitigating supply risks for you and our customer community. For any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Ashley Schell
 | Ashley Schell | Director, Strategic Procurement 104-3718 Kinnear Place, Saskatoon, SK S7P 0A6 306.280.3900 mobile | aschell@wbm.ca |
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