Cylinder maker's woes show trade row could affect Germany

OSTFILDERN, Germany - Located in the small, quiet southeastern German town of Ostfildern, Herbert Haenchen GmbH & Co is disturbed by the ongoing trade frictions between China and the United States.

Haenchen is a family-owned business that specializes in the manufacture of hydraulic cylinders. Among its other products are machine elements, drive systems and clamping devices.

"When tariffs rise, products become more expensive and usually less are bought," said Stefan Haenchen, general manager of the company, in the wake of the latest flare-up of US-China trade tensions.