Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Take a closer look at the media coverage of the announcement pairing De Soto, Kansas, with Panasonic Energy.

ARTICLE BY Jackie Hostetler

De Soto is making headlines! Over the past several weeks, some of the most prestigious and well-known news outlets in the United States have been buzzing with big news about the little town.

For those who haven’t heard, Panasonic Energy Co. Ltd. has selected De Soto as home to the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facility. The facility, which will be built on the site of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant, comes with many benefits and will provide huge opportunities, both locally and globally.

A story this big can’t be contained by a local newspaper or two. De Soto has been grabbing headlines far and wide, including coverage in the Washington Post, Forbes, Autoweek, and even a press release from the White House.

Read on to catch up on all the chatter surrounding the project from some of the largest and most important sources around the country.

The Washington Post

According to the July 2022 article posted on the Washington Post website written by John Hanna and Sean Murphy the multi billion dollar mega-factory will be one of the largest private employers in the state of Kansas. The facility, which will produce electric vehicle batteries for Tesla and other carmakers, lands Panasonic as one of the Top 20 private employers for the state. Kansas Commerce Secretary David Toland and other officials believe the plant, various suppliers, and other local businesses will create up to 4,000 new jobs, with 16,500 temporary construction jobs.

Some estimations state that positions within the plant will pay an average of between $50,000 and $62,000 annually. This figure far exceeds the state median income, which is less than $32,000 per person. The article details other impacts the facility will have locally as well as internationally.

De Soto has long been trying to redevelop the property that is home to the long abandoned ammunition plant. Panasonic Energy will be investing about $4 billion in the plant to make the redevelopment a reality. U.S. Senator Jerry Moran also touts the national significance of the project, as it will lessen the U.S. dependence on China for manufactured products.

Forbes

The future of the automotive industry is electric. At least that’s what the July 2022 Forbes article, penned by Alan Ohnsman, strongly suggests.

U.S. sales of electric vehicles continue to grow rapidly, despite relatively high prices compared with gasoline-fueled models. The car manufacturing company Tesla leads the pack. Tesla registrations have gone up over 87% in the past year.

Panasonic Energy, which has worked closely with Tesla in the past, has been on the hunt for a major new U.S. battery production facility. Reports indicate that Kansas edged out Oklahoma as the new home for the facility.

According to the Forbes piece, the Japanese manufacturer, which also works closely with Toyota, hasn’t yet specified which automakers will receive the batteries from the De Soto plant after it opens. Panasonic Energy reports its existing U.S. assembly lines have already supplied more than 6 billion EV battery cells—most of which are likely powering Teslas.

This could lead some to speculate that the De Soto plant may follow suit in manufacturing parts for the automotive giant.

Autoweek

A July 2022 Autoweek article written by Jim Motovalli points out that De Soto will not be alone as it treads the Panasonic path.

The article states that the Kansas plant, which is to be completed in two years, will complement the sprawling 338-million-cubicfoot Panasonic Energy North America plant located in Sparks, Nevada. The Sparks plant began production five years ago and has shipped six billion battery cells. Also known as the Giga factory, it was built with and supplies Tesla.

In response to questions around why Panasonic Energy chose Kansas, the company states it chose the area for “for its skilled workforce, reliable infrastructure, and central location in North America. We appreciate Kansas’s dedication to sustainability. The state’s commitment to and growth in clean and renewable energy aligns with our dedication in this space.”

The article goes on to speculate that Tesla will probably be the largest customer for the Kansas factory, but other companies could be supplied as well.

Panasonic Energy says in response to a query, “We won’t rule out the possibility of working with other companies in the future while not overextending our resources.”

The White House

The White House announced Panasonic Energy’s plans July 13 in a press release from Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council (NEC). The White House cites the plant as the latest example of the Biden–Harris economic strategy to bring manufacturing jobs back home. According to the press release, over the last year, construction of new manufacturing facilities has increased by 116%. Industrial production is at a record high. And since President Joe Biden took office, the country has added 574,000 manufacturing jobs, including more manufacturing jobs created in 2021 than in any year in nearly 30 years. The message is clear — America manufacturers are back to work.

The press release highlights the administration’s efforts to create more resilient and secure supply chains and out compete the rest of the world in the technologies of the future, stating, “The future of transportation is electric. President Biden’s industrial strategy is ensuring that future is built here in America by all of America’s workers.”

Panasonic Energy Co. Ltd.

Panasonic Energy’s own press release outlined a number of the same details as the other articles. However, the Panasonic piece also delves into the historical significance of the project site, the Sunflower Ammunition Plant.

The following excerpt provides a brief historical account and some details regarding the current plan for use.

“The Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant was built in 1941 and was active during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The site is being remediated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“In 2005, the U.S. Army transferred the former plant site to the Sunflower Redevelopment Group (SRL); in 2022, over 6,000 acres of the site were annexed into De Soto.

“SRL is pleased that, after a quarter of a century of inactivity, a significant portion of the iconic and historically significant Sunflower Property will again provide manufacturing jobs, tax revenue, and additional opportunities to the citizens of the state of Kansas,” says Chuck Hunter, principal with Sunflower Redevelopment, LLC.

The Governor of the State of Kansas

A news release from the Kansas governor’s office states that Panasonic Energy selected Kansas for the site of the plant “due to its business friendly climate, robust talent pool and workforce skill set, support of technology innovation, strong transportation infrastructure, and central location.”

The plant, which represents the largest economic development project in Kansas history, “builds on Kansas City’s legacy of manufacturing and industry strengths.”

The plant is a major victory for the governor and the state. “Winning this project shows that Kansas has what it takes to compete on a global scale — and that our pro-business climate is driving the technological innovation needed to achieve a more prosperous and sustainable future,” says Gov. Laura Kelley.