Metal Cutting Service, City of Industry (Los Angeles), Calif., specializes in sawing metals. President David Viel explained the company's strategy: "We do not buy or sell anything, we just add value to others' products." Although it does very little advertising, the 26-employee company has customers throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia, even though the cost to ship material can be substantial.

December came, and the Section 201 tariffs went out under the tide of global and World Trade Organization (WTO) pressure. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, material price increases hit the metals industry like a tidal wave that made the tariff increases look like gently lapping wading waves. "The Perfect Storm," it's been called.