Panasonic is still slated to start production in one of its wings in early 2025 and will eventually produce 66 batteries every second.
During a tour of the plant on Thursday, the Eudora Times and other regional media received updates on the state of construction and staffing as production nears.
Construction has kept on pace even with a handful of weather delays, said Jeff van Heel, the site’s construction executive.
Teams have been able to pick up on lost time, ultimately keeping the schedule for starting production on target. About 2,400 construction workers are currently working at the site.
President of Panasonic North America Allan Swan said he’d like the plant to open in January, but they’re continuing to say first quarter 2025 in case they need until March.
About 180 employees have been hired as of mid-June. The site is estimated to have 500 employees hired by the end of the year, but officials still plan to have 4,000 when the factory is fully complete in the next few years. Most will contribute to battery production.
After production starts, the hiring will ramp up over the next couple of years to hit that total, Vice President of Human Resources Kristen Walters said. That could be more than 100 hires a month, Swan said.
Walters estimates that 80% to 90% of the plant’s employees will come from the Kansas City metro area, or about a 45-minute radius of the plant.
Swan agreed and said the radius around De Soto is a reason Kansas was chosen for the plant.
“We decided on Kansas because there was a real team effort in Kansas to attract us,” Swan said. “That’s from a politician perspective, but also businesses perspective, community colleges and other things, I could go all the way down the list.”
The iconic four water towers that border the plant have been a staple in the area since its days as the ammunition plant. For now, there are no plans to demolish the towers, van Heel said.
Panasonic is aware of the community’s attachment to these towers, as well as the landmarking they provide, he said.
There have been conversations about painting them to match the rest of the factory, but discussion is ongoing, he said.
“So right now, we don’t have any plans to demo these things out,” van Heel said. “One of the issues with them is that three of them are in a situation that [they] can’t be used at all, the fourth one can still be utilized. So something has to happen with them in the next decade at least.”
When asked whether local communities like De Soto and Eudora need to plan for increased populations, Walters said she doesn’t think anything would be immediate.
Hiring for the leadership team has been complete for about a year. The factory has also hired 34 engineers who have been learning about cell production in Reno, Nevada, for the last year before they come back to Kansas next month.
The building has two wings and a center area for shipping. The entire property totals about 4.7 million square feet with a footprint of 3.1 million square feet. One illustration shown to media to put the plant in context showed a length of two cruise ships with an Empire State building at a 45-degree angle filling the plant’s dimensions.
The interior for wing one is mostly complete with the exterior panels almost done. Van Heel said they are working on bringing in the processing equipment to that section of the building now.
Work on the steel for wing two is still ongoing with about 90% completed.
Eventually, the plant will produce 5.5 million batteries a day. The plant in Reno now ships over 9 billion batteries per year.
Once production starts, there will be four teams working 12-hour shifts with operations going 24/7. Some employees may come in with no experience and train with the Panasonic team, Walters said.
Walters said pay will be competitive, starting hourly in the $20 range and going into the mid-$30s.
Walters said Panasonic has also been working with community partners like the De Soto school district, JCCC and KCKCC to help get pathways for students to see what’s available at Panasonic.
Walters said she feels communities are ready for Panasonic’s opening. She said they are still considering different programs to help cities with the increase in workers, like child care offerings.
Media were told this would be the last time the plant could be toured until opening in 2025.
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
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