Panasonic’s De Soto Battery Plant: Powering Jobs and Transforming a Community
A $4 Billion Catalyst for Change in De Soto
Panasonic
Panasonic's new electric-vehicle (EV) battery plant in De Soto, Kansas, is not just another factory; it's a $4 billion investment set to reshape the small city's future. Since breaking ground in 2022, construction has moved at a lightning pace on the massive 4.7-million-square-foot facility. Once it begins production, expected in 2025, this plant will rank among the largest EV battery factories in the world. More importantly for De Soto's 6,500 residents, it promises 4,000 new high-quality jobs at the plant itself, a “transformational” impact, as Kansas Governor Laura Kelly put it. Local officials say the ripple effects could double that job number when you count suppliers and businesses that spring up to support the facility. In fact, thousands of construction workers have already been employed during the build-out. Wing one and wing two... [Wing one] is completely dried in now, said Panasonic construction executive Jeff van Heel, describing progress on the U-shaped building. By mid-2024, crews had poured concrete from 12,000 truckloads, set 85,000 tons of steel, and moved 5 million cubic yards of earth, an enormous undertaking achieved by about 2,400 workers on site each day. All that effort is laying the groundwork for what officials hail as a new era for De Soto. As Mayor Rick Walker proudly noted, this project will be looked back on as a great victory once we’re on the other side of [the construction phase].
When the plant opens, Panasonic plans to staff it rapidly, aiming for around 4,000 employees at full capacity. Hiring is well underway the company expects to have its initial 500 employees onboard by the end of 2024, focusing heavily on local talent. Probably 80 or 90% of the team members will come from the Kansas City metro area, explained Kristen Walters, Vice President of Human Resources for Panasonic Energy of North America. Rather than importing a workforce, Panasonic is tapping into Kansas and nearby communities, even reaching out to former Kansans who want to come back home. These jobs will span high-tech manufacturing roles with competitive wages entry-level hourly pay starting in the $20s and reaching into the mid-$30s, depending on the role. To ensure a skilled workforce pipeline, Panasonic is partnering with local schools and colleges on training programs. The company has teamed up with the De Soto school district as well as Johnson County Community College and Kansas City Kansas Community College to create apprenticeship and training courses for students and workers looking to join the EV battery industry. “Smaller businesses will be able to utilize those training courses ... the way we train people and what we do,” said Allan Swan, President of Panasonic Energy of North America. According to Swan, Panasonic is building an environment where employees can grow their careers over time: “We create an environment where you can be what you want to be. I’ve got loads of people in Nevada who come in as a material handler [and] have gone up four or five levels,” he added, referencing promotions at Panasonic’s similar battery plant in Nevada. This commitment to workforce development means the job opportunities extend beyond Panasonic’s walls, benefitting local trades and smaller manufacturers who can leverage the new training resources and skilled labor pool.
Preparing for a project of this magnitude has spurred a wave of infrastructure improvements in and around De Soto. One major focus is transportation: thousands of workers will be commuting to the site, so roads are being widened and upgraded to handle the traffic. Kansas s Department of Transportation (KDOT) fast-tracked a $60 65 million highway project to expand the main access routes from K-10 highway into the future plant. “[We’re improving] access from our interchange at Commerce and K-10 and from Evening Star and K-10,” explained Mayor Walker, describing the new interchange work that is on track for completion by late 2024. Even the local street map is changing: the city council symbolically renamed a portion of 103rd Street to “Energy Way,” a nod to the Panasonic plant and the new identity of the area. Upgrading utilities has been another priority. De Soto is investing in water infrastructure, building a new water treatment facility and doubling the capacity of its wastewater treatment plant to support the incoming factories and residents. Power supply has been bolstered too: regional electric utility Evergy installed heavy-duty transmission lines to feed the energy-hungry battery factory. Johnson County is even planning new emergency services, including a new fire station dedicated to serving the Panasonic site and surrounding development, to ensure public safety keeps pace with growth.
All these improvements aren’t cheap, but the economic payoff is already being felt. During the construction phase alone, an influx of workers has meant a boost for local businesses and city tax coffers. “Over 2,000 workers in the area each day are spending their dollars at the local businesses nearby,” Mayor Walker said, noting that gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants have been bustling. As a result, De Soto's sales tax revenues jumped 75% year-over-year, an extraordinary rise for the small city. This windfall is allowing the city to give back to residents: officials plan to lower property tax (mill levy) rates next year, saving the average homeowner around $150 annually. Water utility rates are also expected to drop in coming years thanks to the expanded infrastructure and greater economies of scale. In short, Panasonic's arrival is not just bringing bricks and mortar, it’s funding a better quality of life for the community through improved roads, services, and even lower taxes.
Perhaps the most visible change sparked by the Panasonic project is the surge in housing and development in De Soto. A town that was home to about 6,500 people is bracing for a population boom. “This was not going to be a 6,500-person town for very long,” observed Alex Waller, who moved to De Soto with his wife Lindsay and opened a new brewery, confident in the city’s growth trajectory. City data backs that up: De Soto currently has roughly 2,300 housing units, and an additional 2,500 units are already in the pipeline either under construction or in the planning and zoning stages. In other words, the city may double its housing stock in the near future to accommodate new workers and their families. “We need more homes. We need more people… To be in this community, you’re going to need both [owned homes and rentals],” says Sherelle Witt, a local realtor and business owner, underscoring the demand for housing at all price levels.
New apartment complexes, single-family subdivisions, and even temporary housing solutions are all on the table as De Soto races to make room for its incoming workforce. Longtime residents and entrepreneurs are adapting to the rapid growth with a mix of excitement and nostalgia. Local businesses are booming. “Once the Panasonic plant got underway, we saw a big influx,” says Scott Hill, owner of JT’s Grill, noting that a few years ago his restaurant had probably hit its peak until the construction crews and newcomers started pouring in. Hill is now planning to expand his restaurant to serve the rising number of customers. At the same time, he acknowledges there have been “some growing pains” — from construction traffic to the strain on older roads. “A lot of it seems like patchwork right now until they start implementing their master plan of widening the roads,” Hill said, reflecting on infrastructure catching up to growth. Still, the prevailing mood among business owners is optimistic. “I really liked it when it was a nice, quiet town,” Hill admits, “[but] as far as owning a business, I can’t argue with more rooftops and more revenue.” New ventures are popping up to serve the community, from restaurants to retail. Lindsay Waller of Force of Nature Brewing, one of De Soto’s new breweries, sees the city’s attitude evolving along with its skyline. “De Soto knows they’re growing… it fits the narrative of De Soto being brave and bold,” she said, describing the forward-looking spirit in town. That bold outlook is shared by local economic leaders. “As you have more rooftops, as you have more people, that gets you on the radar for more retail [and] commercial opportunities,” explains Tim Holverson, president of the De Soto Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council. In other words, growth begets growth – the new residents drawn by Panasonic’s jobs will in turn attract supermarkets, shops, healthcare offices, and other amenities that once bypassed this quiet community.
In just a few years, Panasonic’s battery plant project has turned De Soto into a buzzing hub of activity. The city is experiencing changes that normally unfold over decades – a swelling population, new neighborhoods under construction, busy restaurants and stores, and bulldozers constantly at work. Yet amid the transformation, there’s a conscious effort to keep the community grounded. City officials are engaging residents with regular updates (even a weekly newsletter) to manage the rapid changes and address concerns. Neighbors swap both excitement and worries about how De Soto will look in five or ten years. Will it still feel like the tight-knit town they love? Many, like Alex and Lindsay Waller, believe it can. “I feel like the change is a net positive for the city,” Alex says, “it’s just there are some growing pains as they’re building the big plant and infrastructure out there.” That sentiment – optimism tempered with realism – seems to capture the prevailing community attitude.
At the heart of it all stands the Panasonic plant itself, a gleaming new powerhouse of industry rising from a site that once was quiet prairie land (and long ago, an old Army ammunition plant). In early 2025, when the ribbon is cut and the first EV batteries roll off the line, De Soto will officially step onto the global stage of clean technology. But the real story is not just about a factory – it’s about people. It’s the construction crews and tradespeople who literally built this future by hand. It’s the engineers, technicians, and line workers who will find stable, well-paying jobs here. It’s the local diner owner seeing new faces at breakfast and the school welcoming the children of Panasonic employees. It’s a once-sleepy town that dared to be “brave and bold” in embracing change. The Panasonic project has indeed been a core catalyst – lighting a spark that ignited new housing, better infrastructure, and hope for prosperity in De Soto. As Mayor Walker looks at the bustling streets and busy shops, he is confident that enduring the temporary inconveniences of growth will be well worth it. “When we are on the other side looking back, it is going to be a great view,” he said, looking toward a brighter future for his city. Informative, grounded, and focused on impact – the story of Panasonic in De Soto is ultimately about a community that’s charging forward, together, into a new era.