Last U.S. keg-maker nearly tapped out

POTTSTOWN, Pa. — The only company in the United States making beer kegs fashioned from American steel is struggling to survive. The president’s newly signed levies on imported steel are unlikely to help.

The American Keg Co. of Pottstown — its prices undercut by kegs imported from China, France and Germany — cut its workforce by a third earlier this year. Only 20 people now work where 30 were once employed.

“The cost of an imported keg just barely covers the raw materials on one of ours,” said American Keg Chief Executive Officer Paul Czachor. “It’s very difficult to compete.”

So when President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on imported steel, many at American Keg thought it would help level the playing field.

Now they’re not so sure. Trump signed an order Thursday imposing sweeping new levies on steel and aluminum produced outside the nation’s borders. He exempted steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico from the new tax.

“Tariffs will inadvertently drive the price of American steel higher,” said Czachor. “Within a year, we might have to raise our prices so our kegs cost 30 percent more than an import. That puts the whole business in jeopardy.”

This will be a pivotal year for American Keg, which Czachor said is losing between $50,000 and $100,000 every month.

But if the price of imported steel is inflated with a de facto tax, shouldn’t that make American-made products more competitive?

No. And the reason is counterintuitive, said Czachor. He believes the cost of American steel will rise while “American businesses will suffer,” he said.

“If there were no tariffs, that would keep the domestic steel prices lower,” Czachor said.

The newly enacted taxes will not apply to finished steel products produced outside the U.S., Czachor said. And that’s where he sees the real trouble. Imported kegs, tools and heavy equipment are not subject to the new tariffs.

“Downstream imported products, made outside of the U.S. that use a lot of steel, will still be priced cheaply,” he said. “If the Chinese make lockers for a high school, people can import them with no tariff. The imported kegs will still come in using low-cost steel.”

American Keg supplies a large portion of the 7,000 craft brewers, wineries and cider makers nationwide. A standard American half-keg sells for about $115, he said. An import runs closer to $95.

“Our customers love the fact that our kegs are American made, produced by American workers and built from American steel,” Czachor said. “But they’re only willing to pay so much of a premium.”

If American Keg can build more of a market, Czachor said he would love to hire back the 10 workers he let go earlier this year.

“But we’re going to need the administration to impose tariffs on downstream steel products,” he said.