Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce to Initiate Section 232 Investigation into...

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https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2020/05/us-department...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced today that the Department
will initiate an investigation into whether the quantities or circumstances of mobile
crane imports into the United States threaten to impair the national security. This
decision follows a petition filed by domestic producer, The Manitowoc Company,
Inc. (Manitowoc), on December 19, 2019, requesting that the Department of
Commerce launch an investigation into mobile crane imports under Section 232 of
the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended. The investigation, to be conducted
by the Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, will provide the opportunity
for public comment once the rule is posted in the Federal Register.
“We will conduct this review thoroughly and expeditiously,” said Secretary
Ross. “This investigation will help determine whether mobile cranes are being
imported in such quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to
impair U.S. national security.”
Manitowoc alleges that increased imports of low-priced mobile cranes, particularly
from Germany, Austria, and Japan, and intellectual property (IP) infringement by
foreign competition,have harmed the domestic mobile crane manufacturing
industry.The Department of Homeland Security has identified mobile cranes as a
critical industry because of their extensive use in national defense applications, as
well as in critical infrastructure sectors.
The petitioner claims the low-priced imports and IP infringement resulted in the
closure of one of its two production facilities in the United States and eliminated
hundreds of skilled manufacturing jobs in Wisconsin. Manitowoc cites the U.S.
International Trade Commission’s (USITC) Dataweb to note that imports of mobile
cranes increased 152% between 2014 and 2019, and a 2015 finding that a Chinese
manufacturer misappropriated six trade secrets and infringed on a patent, resulting
in the USITC banning the sale of a Chinese crane in the United States.

8/3/2020, 9:15 AM