“A bit of a reprieve.”
That’s how Hyspan Precision Products President and CEO Eric Barnes described the three-month pause in reciprocal tariffs announced by the Trump Administration Wednesday.
KPBS first spoke with Eric Barnes back in early March, as 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and China were about to go into effect.
Hyspan is a Chula Vista-based company that manufactures metal products for industrial and commercial applications.
Even though he said the pause is a relief, Barnes also said he’s very concerned about the Trump administration’s back-and-forth on who gets tariffs and how high they are.
Barnes said it’s causing him financial whiplash.
He said it’s been nearly impossible to plan out purchases from vendors and to execute sales agreements with customers.
“They’ve got to have predictability in the future. I think that's where the administration has just gone off the rails. They just don't understand that for some reason. I just don't know,” Barnes said.
While Barnes said he’s happy for the 90-day pause, that reprieve does not include China. The Trump Administration now says Chinese products entering the United States will be tariffed at 145%.
Hyspan sources raw materials from China that it uses to make auto parts.
“We need them (China). Our business is built on a combination of what they produce and what we produce. It makes it very difficult if that whole equation is radically upset or is changing day to day,” Barnes said.
KPBS will continue to check in with Barnes as the tariff roller coaster rolls on.
