While meeting with some American distributors in St. Louis this week, Falkbuilt CEO Mogens Smed is trying to figure out what the U.S.-Canada trade war will mean for the Calgary-based firm and its clients.

The construction technology company does about 90 per cent of its business in the United States, and uses a lot of steel and aluminum.

Varcoe: 'Nobody wins here': Energy in clear, but Alberta businesses will take hits in trade brawl with U.S. Back to video

It’s too soon to say precisely how much the new U.S. tariffs could cost Falkbuilt or its customers, although Smed estimates it could be a $10-million touch tied to steel.

And even though trade talks between the two countries fell apart last Friday and the rhetoric is increasing, he still believes cooler heads must prevail.

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“This is going to be a battle,” Smed said in an interview.

“We’ve got a gun to each other’s heads here. This is crazy.”

Alberta’s largest export isn’t being targeted in the trade war — the $125-billion worth of oil, gas and minerals that head south annually — but other businesses are already caught in the crossfire of an escalating fight.

From Alberta honey producers to manufacturers and small companies that buy and sell products to and from the United States, business operators are girding for the fallout of........

© Calgary Herald