DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST: All kinds of businesses are trying to figure out how President Trump’s trade wars will affect their bottom lines.
ELLIOTT: Let’s start just having you tell us a little bit about how your business works and where your recycled metals end up.
And of the metals, we have steel, primarily, and then the nonferrous metals, which aluminum, copper, stainless, brasses.
So ultimately, tariffs arbitrarily pick winners and losers, and it feels not free enterprise and feels very un-American to me.
And we can’t make everything here in the U.S. ELLIOTT: That’s Andrew Lincoln, owner of Lincoln Recycling, speaking with us from Meadville, Pennsylvania.
HOST: DEBBIE ELLIOTT.
Numerous companies are attempting to determine the impact of President Trump’s trade wars on their financial results. He increased the tariffs on steel and aluminum imports by 50% this week. The goal, according to the White House, is to increase U.S. production. A. however, analysts warn that the move may raise prices for everything from homes to cars to canned goods. Andrew Lincoln is now joining us to discuss the impact on a particular metals industry sector. Lincoln Recycling, located in Pennsylvania, is owned by him. Enjoy the show.
Andrew Lincoln: I’m grateful to be here, Debbie.
ELLIOTT: Let’s begin by having you briefly describe your company’s operations and the final destination of your recycled metals.
Lincoln: Of course. Retailers and heavy manufacturers make up our clientele, and we specialize in recycling metals. The collection procedure involves us congregating at our two Pennsylvania locations. Among the metals, steel is the most common, followed by nonferrous metals like copper, brass, stainless steel, and aluminum. And after being sorted, those are sent to domestic customers, followed by some to whom we export.
ELLIOTT: According to some analysts, companies like yours ought to benefit, at least temporarily. How does that operate, and is that what you were hoping for?
Lincoln: It’s a little more complicated than that, but yes, we’re seeing a slight boost. For example, the COMEX and LME are where many of the commodities we trade, like copper, are traded on a daily basis. Additionally, we prefer stable prices that are a little higher than they are right now. That encourages our company to recycle more. I can provide my clients with better deals when the price of commodities rises. In the short term, however, the spreads between what copper COMEX is and what I can actually get for the material have significantly expanded as a result of the tariff announcements acting as, you know, an on-off switch. And some of my customers are actually refusing to buy, which hurts me because I have stuff coming in that I can’t sell.
ELLIOTT: You’re getting material that costs a little more now because the prices have gone up. Wait, that’s a bit too high, some of your customers say when you try to sell it at the price it’s selling for on the open market. I will not purchase it at this time.
Lincoln: That’s right. We’re all in a pause mode. If we all pause, if consumers are truly melting copper to make brass or fixtures, to sell to manufacturers to turn it into a part, then everyone in the supply chain is taking a deep breath or pause and trying to figure out if this price is real or if it will hold, and you can imagine that if that happens throughout the entire supply chain, it will only weaken the economy because everyone is essentially waiting to see what will happen.
ELLIOTT: The price of my can of green beans, for example, will increase as a result?
Lincoln: Certainly, that is something you would pay for. Therefore, in the end, tariffs arbitrarily choose winners and losers, which in my opinion is very un-American and does not represent free enterprise. In other words, some of the manufacturers we work with produce goods that have value additions. Additionally, they have a particular kind of aluminum or steel that is not made in the United States. A. and most likely won’t be, even with the impending tariffs. Because they are unable to source their materials domestically, small niche businesses are left out in the cold.
ELLIOTT: According to President Trump, the goal of these tariffs is to help the United States regain its position as a manufacturing hub. A. You don’t seem to think that will work.
Lincoln: Indeed. We are unable to restore everything. For this reason, we must rely on other nations and have robust trading partners, such as Canada and Mexico. And we are unable to produce everything in the U.S. A.
ELLIOTT: From Meadville, Pennsylvania, we’re hearing from Andrew Lincoln, owner of Lincoln Recycling. I really appreciate your insight.
LINCOLN: Debbie, thank you.
ELLIOTT: (the song “Books of War (Instrumental)” by Omegah Red).
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