Fostering a domestic crane industry

Given China’s dominance in the global supply of port cranes, the Biden administration seeks to revive a US-based crane industry. “The Administration continues to deliver for the American people by rebuilding the US’s industrial capacity to produce port cranes with trusted partners,” the White House said in its fact sheet.

“The Administration will invest over $20 billion, including through grants, into US port infrastructure over the next five years through the President’s Investing in America Agenda, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act.” One of the beneficiaries of that funding appears to be PACECO Corp., a US-based subsidiary of Mitsui E&S Co., Ltd in Japan, which is planning to onshore US manufacturing capacity for its crane production, according to the White House. “PACECO intends to partner with other trusted manufacturing companies to bring port crane manufacturing capabilities back to the US for the first time in 30 years, pending final site and partner selection.”

Although jump-starting a moribund heavy manufacturing industry such as crane production that the US ceded to China decades ago might seem unrealistic, some experts are optimistic. “Look at, for example, what’s changed very quickly with the CHIPS Act and how fast the private sector has been able to respond to that,” Lisa Plaggemier, executive director at the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA), tells CSO, “There are now a number of new chip manufacturing facilities where companies have broken ground and are making progress there to transition us away from the dependency we’ve had on China in that space.”

“I applaud the onshoring of some of the manufacturing capability,” Tenable’s Edwards says.” We’re seeing that in many sectors, it’s not as much or as fast as some people would like to see, but it’s a definite start, and we have to start somewhere.”

Biden port security initiative a good start and long overdue

Lawmakers embraced the Biden administration’s steps to improve maritime security. Congressman Carlos A. Giménez (R-FL), chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, said, “Our ports are critical hubs of economic activity, a cyberattack by Communist China would cause a cascading impact to domestic and global supply chains. Finally, the Biden Administration has taken action to enhance port cybersecurity.”

Some cybersecurity experts likewise embraced the initiatives. “I think this is the right step,” says Tom Guarente, vice president of external and government affairs at Armis. However, he cautions that “the devil is in the details” and hopes that when it comes to funding these initiatives, the budget will be sufficient to meet all the objectives. “I absolutely support the fact that this executive order has come out, but it’s going to be important to see how the funding flows.”

NCA’s Plaggemier says, “I welcome this because I think that when it comes to all critical national infrastructure, and ports are a part of that, we have some security debt there.”