Fabricators Forum Focuses on Steel Tariffs

As the market waits anxiously to see if President Trump gives in to the international pressure to rethink his national security tariff on steel imports, it’s clear that steel fabricators are not big fans of Section 232. Speaking at the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association annual meeting March 5 in Nashville, panelists’ comments reflected the divisive nature of the administration’s trade policy.

“In my opinion, Section 232’s goal was to protect a small number of steel mill jobs at the expense of the larger fabrication industry,” said Phil Kooima, owner of Kooima Co., Rock Valley, Iowa, expressing a common sentiment among fabricators and other steel users. “I believe the U.S. should import as much low-cost steel as possible to make fabricators more competitive. We compete in a global market, even if our customers are domestic. As we move closer to the end game for Section 232, I look forward to sourcing steel competitively all over the world, which will make all of us more competitive.”