Overlooking the construction site of the future Panasonic plant, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said the new battery factory will welcome a new era of American manufacturing.
Buttigieg held a news conference Monday to tour the site and discuss how electric vehicle manufacturing is creating jobs in America. Panasonic North American Energy President Allan Swan, Lt. Gov. David Toland and Rep. Sharice Davids joined him.
After viewing the site, Buttigieg said he sees opportunity and ambition for the future of the region and the country.
“Just got a look at this ‘field of dreams,’ as the president might say, one that when it opens will be one of the largest EV manufacturing battery facilities in the world,” Buttigieg said. “And of course, what the construction workers on this site are building isn’t just a factory. They’re building livelihoods.”
The $4 billion battery factory is expected to create 4,000 direct jobs in Kansas.
Because he grew up near a Studebaker auto factory in South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg said he knows how important good paying manufacturing jobs can be for a community.
Buttigieg said these types of jobs provide more opportunities for communities to hold on to young, talented workers. He said the lack of opportunities has forced these workers out of communities over the years.
“So now seeing those jobs coming back, seeing those jobs grow here in Kansas, and a new auto and auto-related plants in Indiana, in Michigan, and Louisiana, and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia and Nevada, and more and more places around the country demonstrates that this really is a new and stronger era for American manufacturing,” he said.
Buttigieg said the work at the plant will require an enormous amount of technical ability and skill, but not necessarily a college degree. Buttigieg said the technical training that workers receive will help them be successful at EV battery factories.
Panasonic partnered with Johnson County Community College to provide training programs, which will begin in the latter half of this year. Davids said it is important for the future workforce to be prepared.
“We’re talking about getting people ready, whether they’re looking to build stuff or looking to help be engineers and that sort of thing. We have got to make sure that we’re set up,” Davids said.
De Soto Mayor Rick Walter said he is thrilled to bring thousands of jobs back to the area after the closing of the Sunflower Ammunition plant.
“We see this facility as having a generational impact on De Soto and the region and our state, and we are so privileged to be a part of it,” Walter said.
Buttigieg said the Panasonic factory is just another example of why EV companies are investing in American manufacturing.
“Ask any global company in the EV supply chain why they are choosing to open a new facility in the U.S. and you will hear about the investments that we’re making with the infrastructure law, the climate-jobs law and other good policies as among the decisive factors,” Buttigieg said.
Toland said the Panasonic plant will be transformational for the Kansas economy, much like the aviation industry was a century ago.
“The ancillary economic benefits are already rippling throughout Kansas and into Missouri and the region,” Toland said. “This project is a testament to our state’s bold commitment to emerging technologies and innovative industries, and our efforts at every level to diversify the Kansas economy.”
Swan said EV battery production will start in the first quarter of 2025.
Following the event, The Eudora Times asked Swan what advice he had for officials in Eudora as to how they can best prepare for an influx of workers in the area.
He said Panasonic’s prior experience in Nevada provides a lot of experience from which to draw.
“So I would welcome people to talk to us. We’ll definitely be talking to the communities and tell them what we know and what we’ve learned, kind of good, bad and ugly, to be honest,” he said. “So we’ve learned a lot, and I actually believe because of that knowledge and experience we’ll be able to help even more.”
He said to expect more outreach and communication the second half of this year.
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