These four Dayton area companies could be hurt, helped by tariffs

The delayed decision on the imposition of steel tariffs on the European Union, Canada and Mexico could help at least one large area company and potentially harm others.

The White House said Monday it would postpone a decision on imposing tariffs on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum for 30 days, avoiding the potential for a trade battle with Europe as the U.S. prepares for tense trade talks in China this week.

While at least one of the region’s biggest employers, West Chester Twp.-based AK Steel Corp., has welcomed the prospect of tariffs on what some argue are artificially cheap or subsidized steel imports, others have warned that making steel and aluminum more expensive could backfire.

Another large regional employer, GE Aviation, which makes jet engines, has said that the impact of tariffs on its consumption of imported metals is likely to be “minimal.” But one analyst, John Inch, said GE Aviation could feel the pinch if it’s caught in the middle of an international trade war because most of its customers are overseas.

Here are some of the major companies in this area that the tariff’s would have an impact on:

• AK Steel employs 8,000 people in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Minnesota; the company has about 2,400 employees in Middletown and Butler County.