RESHORING
Skilled labour shortages continue to plague the industry, as veterans retire with few qualified people to replace them.
been, at least in part, supported by the Trump administration’s Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance initiative, which, via executive order, is aimed at rebuilding the US shipyard industrial base and promoting both commercial and military shipbuilding. In addition, Bell notes that from 2022 through 2025 US steelmakers invested about $30bn to increase their production capacity. He notes that amongst the major investments is the three million short tonne US Steel/Big River Steel 2 expansion in Osceola, Arkansas; Steel Dynamics’ three million tonne greenfield mill in Sinton, Texas; and Nucor’s three million tonne West Virginia greenfield mill. In addition, Korea’s Hyundai has announced that it plans to build a 2.7 million tonne steel mill complex in Louisiana and Hybar has announced plans to start construction on a second rebar mill in Arkansas and Nippon Steel, which recently acquired US Steel, is reportedly considering building an additional mill in the US. ACEC’s Norheim said that at the same time many OEMs have been becoming more automated, using more artificial intelligence powered tools to maximise their existing workforce at this time when perhaps their biggest challenge has been finding and retaining the skilled workers they need to keep up with their growth.
“I think that as long as US manufacturing investments continue, the US overhead crane and
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hoist market should continue to grow,” Mazzella’s Gaydos says, noting that overall US demand for overhead cranes and hoists have not only been pretty strong but that it has been increasing about 10% per year. This increase is largely for specific types of cranes that the industry hasn’t seen before due to the recent advances of automation and artificial intelligence technologies. That, he says, includes cranes that can learn
from themselves. Gaydos explained that as the crane engages in certain repetitive activities, such as retrieving parts and components from where they have been stored and delivering them where they are needed, they learn how to do so more efficiently and quicker. In addition, Gaydos says that by using human-machine interfacing (HMI), the cranes are increasingly able to provide the OEMs with the feedback they require to engage in preventive maintenance, therefore, reducing any downtime. GW Becker’s Piso adds that such automation is needed in today’s world, especially given recent labour constraints and a desire for the service team to be alerted remotely of any potential problems. “It is important to note that such technologies as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) aren’t aimed at replacing people,” Norheim observes. “It helps the manufacturers to do more with the talented workforce that they have.” “Safety also remains a major priority,” Conductix-Wampfler’s Roberts notes, with such features as anti-collision systems, zone control
and restricted travel areas, allowing manufacturers to improve productivity while also helping to remove certain operators from hazardous or uncomfortable environments. Coates says that she is expecting there to be
steady growth in the US manufacturing sector with manufacturing activity likely to appear somewhat different from what it looked like in the past, as it will be highly sophisticated with the use of more robotics and other automation. However, she says that until there is more
clarity about tariffs and less economic volatility, some manufacturers could at least temporarily hold back on making certain investments. But Moser says that he doesn’t believe that
will have a negative impact upon the reshoring of manufacturing and other manufacturing investments. In fact, he says that the worst- case scenario is for it to continue to progress at its current rate of growth. “However, if the government gets its act together regarding the labour issues, the value of the US dollar and controlling cost, the rate of growth could accelerate.” Similarly, Piso says that the overhead crane industry will also continue to advance, propped up by customer satisfaction and its ability to meet the requirements of the domestic manufacturing industry. The crane market should also be bolstered by the increased adoption of automation and other smart technologies, adds Duhamel.
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