A Winter-Coat Heavyweight Gives Trump's Trade War the Cold Shoulder

[DonViejo]

Columbia Sportswear has worked around tariffs for decades — and it says the president’s new wave of levies will not bring jobs back to America.

By Jim Tankersley
Nov. 23, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. — Columbia Sportswear has spent years designing ski jackets and hiking boots to withstand the elements: wind, rain, snow and, increasingly, tariffs.

Located on a sprawling campus adorned with hanging canoes, the 80-year-old retailer has long protected its outdoor gear from the whims of Washington by engaging in what the company calls “tariff engineering” — adjusting its products to lessen import taxes on materials from outside the United States like rubber soles, zippers and waterproof nylon.

But now Columbia worries that its approach is under threat from a president whose trade strategy leaves little room for American companies that make and sell products globally.

Mr. Trump’s use of tariffs as a cudgel to revitalize manufacturing in the United States is forcing changes across large multinational companies, though they may not always be the changes the president seeks. Harley-Davidson and Micron are moving production to factories in Europe or parts of Asia, while other companies have put off expansion plans amid trade uncertainty.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/23/business/economy/columbia-sportswear-trump-trade-war.html

[Cha]

1. KR!

[tammywammy]

2. Interesting article. k&r n/t