CyManII positions UTSA to grow South Texas' manufacturing industry

Daniel Cuellar, an electrical engineer, explains the “Mini Factory Simulation Equipment” to UTSA students and Port San Antonio interns.

AUGUST 28, 2024 — There is a cutting-edge UTSA facility at Port San Antonio where manufacturers can explore and test the latest, state-of-the-art cybersecurity solutions.

The facility is run by the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII), established under the U.S. Department of Energy in 2020 to combat vulnerabilities and drive fundamentally new innovations in industrial security. The institute, led by UTSA, has already trained over 30,000 professionals.

Alvaro Espinosa Mercado spends his days working at the Cybersecurity for Manufacturing (C4M) Hub, located in the heart of Port San Antonio.

Companies across the region visit the facility for applied research, engineering support, and hands-on training in secure smart manufacturing.

“We provide them with a roadmap to tell them the areas where they have the biggest opportunity not only to protect their company from attacks, but also where they can save money and be more profitable,” said Espinosa Mercado, the engineering manager at CyManII’s C4M Hub.

“Let's say, in five years from now, what I see is CyManII being able to provide cybersecurity training and awareness to everyone who needs it.”

Espinosa Mercado joined CyManII in December 2023, but he has spent most of his career working along the Texas-Mexico border and has developed a thorough understanding of the San Antonio manufacturing network.

“I've worked near the border of Texas from Matamoros, Laredo, and El Paso most of my career. So, I know the logistics and I know vendors and I know the cluster of manufacturers intimately here in San Antonio,” Espinosa said.

Alvaro Espinosa, laboratory engineering manager, sets up “CyManII Cyberattack Demonstration” on manufacturing equipment.

The C4M Hub is another example of how UTSA is making intentional investments to improve the economic prosperity and quality of life of residents in the South Texas Triangle.

The CyManII team brings unique experience and passion to the institute, which is revolutionizing cybersecurity in manufacturing by developing a secure framework that is comprehensive and enhances efficiency.

Ty Middleton, director of education and workforce development at CyManII, said the training scope extends beyond cybersecurity professionals in the manufacturing sector.

“Whether you're working in that cybersecurity space or if you're just working as an operator on the floor, but you're working on a piece of equipment that's plugged into the internet, our training focuses on that level, all the way up to the highest levels, which include certification,” Middleton explained.

Last year, the U.S. Economic Development Administration selected CyManII to establish an ecosystem that will promote secure manufacturing strategies across South Texas.

With a $500,000 Tech Hub Strategy Development Grant, the South Texas Secure Manufacturing Consortium was created in November 2023, allowing CyManII to begin establishing a Secure Manufacturing epicenter in South Texas.

By engaging in strategic planning, making targeted investments and fostering collaborative efforts, CyManII aims to build a dynamic ecosystem that attracts businesses, generates high-quality jobs, and enhances the region’s long-term competitiveness in the global manufacturing sector.

“Let's say, in five years from now, what I see is CyManII being able to provide cybersecurity training and awareness to everyone who needs it, regardless of where they are. Whether they're in manufacturing, if they're transitioning from the military — whatever that audience looks like, CyManII will be that resource. And for the training that we have developed and the training that we will develop, we want to make sure that people have access to that. This will be through the Secure Manufacturing Consortium,” Middleton said. 

To build its South Texas Hub, CyManII is uniting diverse stakeholders, bringing together startups, business and workforce development firms, private industry and thought leaders.

The C4M Hub is centrally located in Port San Antonio, the region’s largest technology center, which hosts leading aerospace, cybersecurity, national defense and applied technology operations, including the 16th Air Force headquarters and numerous private sector enterprises supporting DoD operations nationwide.

Jim Perschbach, President & CEO of Port San Antonio, recognizes the Institute’s innovations and educational efforts that extend far beyond San Antonio.

“It’s great realizing that the solutions that CyManII is helping to create and educate on are not just limited to San Antonio. It really is the manufacturing health of our country, of our allied nations around the world. Knowing so much of that has its origins right here in San Antonio is a real sense of pride for all of us,” he said.

With manufacturing booming in our region, Dan Yoxall, president and CEO of the San Antonio Manufacturers Association, believes CyManII plays a crucial role in South Texas by helping different sectors understand their technological opportunities and vulnerabilities.

“Manufacturing is really dynamic in this region right now. We have aerospace, we have automotive, we have transportation, we have food and beverage, we have biomed. We have all of these inputs into the manufacturing ecosystem. Every one of them needs to understand what their vulnerabilities are, their capabilities are and their opportunities are when it comes to technology as a critical piece of manufacturing. So here comes UTSA and CyManII partnering in this region and beyond to set a national standard in secure manufacturing,” Yoxall said.

CyManII also operates a mobile training vehicle that delivers cybersecurity manufacturing training to businesses throughout Texas, with plans to expand this service and other offerings.

“Our goal is to upskill and reskill one million workers in cybersecurity, whether that's cybersecurity awareness or training,” Middleton said.

As a Manufacturing Innovation Institute with a focus on fundamental cybersecurity research, CyManII aims to enhance the industrial competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers by informing technologies that enable secure digitalization.

Supported with $70 million in federal investments, $42 million in cost-share from university and industry partners, and $2.4 million in Texas state investments, CyManII and its partners have established the nation’s expertise in applied industrial security. With CyManII’s work, the South Texas San Antonio Region holds promise as the next global hub for secure manufacturing and sets the stage for the cybersecure manufacturing capacity to support the nation for decades to come.

— Tiffany Huertas