The 2024 global trade war has crashed down on cymbal maker Avedis Zildjian Co. along with other manufacturers that do business internationally, but a team of Bryant students has helped save the 400-year-old musical instrument company hundreds of thousands of dollars though a review of Zildjian's vendors and supply chain and guidance on how muffle the impact of duties and tariffs.

The Global Supply Chain Management (GSCM) senior capstone team of Alexis Diamantes '25, Jessica Gaskin '25, Alexis Klein '25, Andrew Smetana '25, and Kelvyn Strong '25, advised by Marketing Professor Michael Gravier, Ph.D., Management Professor Christopher Roethlein, Ph.D., and GSCM Executive in Residence June S. Youngs, combined and organized Zildjian’s vendor data and made consolidation recommendations; analyzed spending patterns; and laid out a plan for the company to limit risks associated with tariffs, including sourcing strategies, inclusion in free-trade zones, duty drawback programs, and tariff mitigation plans.

“The team was able to identify savings opportunities within the supply chain in the range of $500,000 to $1 million over a three-to-five-year window,” says Bill Lawrence, Zildjian’s senior vice president of operations. 

The savings are a combination of costs already incurred that can be recovered and ongoing savings going forward. Some recommendations are already being implemented, while others continue to be refined.

“The ideas and strategies developed by the Bryant team have made a significant and lasting impact on the Zildjian supply chain,” Lawrence says.

“The ideas and strategies developed by the Bryant team have made a significant and lasting impact on the Zildjian supply chain."

The Zildjian brand is most closely associated with cymbals: the family name, assigned in 1623 by Murad IV, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, literally means “cymbal smith.” 

Relocated from Istanbul to the United States in 1927, the company is now headquartered in Norwell, Massachusetts, and also produces Vic Firth drumsticks and Balter brand percussion mallets. 

Cymbals are manufactured in Norwell, while drumsticks are made in Newport, Maine. Zildjian imports raw materials both domestically and internationally and sells its products around the world.

The Bryant capstone team advised Zildjian that the company could apply for “drawbacks” on 6.5 percent U.S. Customs duties paid on imported materials that are used to manufacture products that are then exported.

The team also recommended that Zildjian take advantage of Free and Foreign Trade Zones in the U.S. that are considered outside of U.S. Customs jurisdiction for tariffs, allowing companies to store, import, and export products with lower (or no) duties and tariffs. 

Tweaks to how Zildjian manages and packages its products could also reduce exposure to duties and tariffs, the Bryant team noted.

Lawrence says Zildjian presented the capstone team "with a general idea, a disjointed dataset of suppliers, and a hope that they would be able to find some meaningful supply chain improvements.  

“They uncovered new approaches to our supply chain, new avenues to recover previous costs, and ways to save costs going forward,” he says. “They were able to highlight new and impactful ways to manage our supply chain that we never would have thought of without their insights.”

Bryant students were "able to highlight new and impactful ways to manage our supply chain that we never would have thought of without their insights.”

Gaskin, who is also president of Bryant’s Supply Chain Leadership Association, says the most rewarding part of the project was that the team’s work is making a real impact at Zildjian. “They had no idea about the duty drawback program or free trade zones,” she says.

The team’s ability to help a company that’s been in business for more than four centuries demonstrates that their work offers lessons for other businesses, adds Klein. “I think the tariff findings can be applicable to other global companies, and the vendor optimization process can be applicable to any business to become more efficient,” she says.

“Zildjian was a really unique company to work with,” Klein says. “We got a behind the scenes look at manufacturing, artist work, product development, and even got to ring a gong, which Professor Roethlein now wants in the Supply Chain Lab."

Real-world experience like the Zildjian capstone project gives Bryant students the knowledge and confidence they need to make a splash starting on their first day of their careers, says Roethlein. The Zildjian team was one of six groups of seniors that presented their GSCM capstone projects this year, advising companies on issues such as waste reduction, facility expansion, spend analysis, and supplier performance reporting. 

Founded in 2010, the senior capstone program has saved corporate partners more than $270 million in the last eight years alone. “There is nothing greater than knowing that supply chain student effort can impact companies like Zildjian that have longevity and established brand and corporate success,” Roethlein says.

“There is nothing greater than knowing that supply chain student effort can impact companies like Zildjian that have longevity and established brand and corporate success."

Capstone team member Andrew Smetana says the project significantly enhanced his understanding of international supply chain management, offering hands-on experience solving real-world logistics challenges. 

"Working with a globally recognized brand like Zildjian has strengthened my problem-solving skills, analytical abilities, and confidence in working with industry professionals," he says.

Lawrence praised both the quality of the team’s work and the professionalism of their presentation, which was delivered in early May at Zildjian's headquarters. 

“I look forward to additional capstone projects in the future and continuing to strengthen our relationship with Bryant,” he says.