100 year old Connecticut manufacturing company is closing after being sent over the edge by Trump’s economic policies
Trade policy has been reshaping parts of U.S. manufacturing for years, especially for smaller firms that rely on imported materials and tight margins. In Connecticut, that pressure has now reached Madem-Moorecraft Reels in Thomaston, a manufacturer with roots going back about 100 years. Company leaders said the business is shutting down after cost increases tied to tariffs became too much to absorb.
Madem-Moorecraft Reels is closing its Thomaston operation
Madem-Moorecraft Reels, a wire and cable reel manufacturer in Thomaston, is closing after roughly a century in business, the company confirmed. The shutdown affects its Connecticut operation, where the company had long served industrial customers that use wire-handling equipment. The closure marks the end of one of the older manufacturing businesses in that part of Litchfield County.
Company officials said the decision followed mounting cost pressure that the business could not offset through pricing or volume. The company identified tariffs as a central factor in the closure. No broader restructuring plan involving multiple plants was announced along with the Thomaston shutdown.
The official closure date was not publicly detailed beyond the company’s announcement, and the company has not released a public employee count tied to the closure. What is confirmed is that the Thomaston manufacturing business is ending. That leaves a significant gap in a town where long-running industrial employers are limited.
The local impact is centered on Thomaston and surrounding Connecticut towns
The most immediate effects are in Thomaston, where the company operated its manufacturing business. For workers, suppliers, and nearby service businesses, the closure removes a long-established employer from a small Connecticut community. The company has not released a full public list of affected vendors or related local contracts.
What is not yet known is how many jobs are directly affected in Connecticut. No public filing cited in the announcement spelled out a final headcount for the Thomaston site. It is also not clear whether any equipment, inventory, or property tied to the operation will be sold locally.
For residents, the closure is another example of how national economic policy can land hardest in smaller towns with older industrial bases. Thomaston has a long manufacturing history, and the loss of a century-old company carries practical effects beyond one building. At this point, the confirmed facts remain limited to the shutdown itself and the company’s stated reason.
Company leaders tied the closure to Trump-era tariff policies
The cause cited by the company was economic pressure linked to trade policy under President Donald Trump. Company leaders said tariffs increased costs in ways the business could not sustainably manage. In a manufacturing operation that depends on raw materials and industrial inputs, even modest cost jumps can hit margins quickly.
The company did not present the closure as the result of a single bad quarter or a one-time disruption. Instead, it described a longer buildup of pressure connected to tariff-related expenses. That context matters because it places the shutdown within a broader pattern seen among smaller manufacturers that lack the scale of larger national competitors.
For Connecticut customers and residents, the practical takeaway is straightforward. Madem-Moorecraft Reels is closing its Thomaston operation, and the company has not announced a reopening, buyer, or replacement plan. As of the announcement, the confirmed record is that a 100-year-old manufacturer is ending operations after leaders said tariff-driven costs pushed the company beyond what it could continue to bear.
