The materials handling world is watching the trade tensions between the USA and China closely.
President Trump triggered a swift market reaction when he announced sanctions on steel and aluminium imports - to which China responded with plans to target US exports.
Both the US and China are major producers of materials handling equipment and the imposition of tariffs by either country would have a profound impact. The effects would not only be a direct hit on machinery sales, but also on demand for materials handling equipment more broadly as other areas of trade start to constrict. So, fewer imports in the world's two biggest economies mean less activity on the ports, less transport, and slow-downs in the logistics sector.
In the last few days, the rhetoric seems to have softened. Let's just hope we can get past the posturing and get back to business.