Illinois Firms Already Feeling Trade War Sting
Matt Roland, president of Roland Machinery, says some suppliers have warned of price hikes up to 25 percent owing to the steel tariffs. Brian Mackey/NPR Illinois
With America and China officially in a trade war, Illinois companies say they’re already seeing consequences.
Springfield-based Roland Machinery sells heavy equipment, like excavators, road graders and steamrollers.
Company president Matt Roland on Friday said suppliers are raising prices by as much as 25 percent — mainly on the blades and scoops that attach to earthmoving equipment.
“If you go behind this area, you’ll see a bunch of buckets,” he said. “These buckets are 100 percent steel, so it highly impacts that segment of our industry.”
In addition to its Springfield headquarters, the company has locations across Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin, as well as one site each in Indiana and Michigan. But beyond its regional footprint, Roland said his company is part of the global economy.
“We build machines all over the world and we bring them in from all over the world,” he said. “So it’ll affect us, but as long as the economy is strong, we can probably handle it.”